Holiday Crisis
by Shmeilia Rockie
Summary: *Santa Clause 2* Can Bernard balance his personal and professional life, as he attempts to rescue the lost Legendary Council members and save the entire world's population from a 30 year sleep? Only three chapters left!
1. Vacations

Holiday Crisis  
A fic for Disney's classic(s): The Santa Clause 1 & 2  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
A/N: Please excuse this incredibly long intro. This is an AU, just so you know. The elves keep non-believers as slaves, and hate almost all human adults. The elf age ratio isn't 1 to 100, it's 1 to 200. So Curtis is 1,800 instead of 900, and Bernard is about 3,200. Well, in the first movie he did say he was VERY old... Why not older than Christmas itself? And Judy said the perfect coco recepie took her 1,200 years to get right, and she looked the same age as Curtis, so it works out. I have many things planned, not all of which might be really great. I've been thinking of this since the first movie (a honkin' eight years ago), so it might turn out to be a bit of a Mary Sue. I hope not though, and I'll make every effort to keep it away from that. And it possibly could turn into a crossover with the Disney made-for-tv-movie Halloweentown (and its sequel), but I'm still considering it. Unfortunately, if I don't do it, this story will have very little plot. Here's a weird AU thing: Bernard is half human, but keeps it a secret because that's incredibly taboo. As a kid he was abused and sold into slavery by his step-father. He also practices alchemy as a hobby. And as a final note, they say things like "holiday" instead of oh, say "hell". And the like...So if you see something like "Bells and wrapping paper!" You can substitute that with whatever cussing your mind may prefer. Oh, and I dun't own SC 1 or 2, but I DO own Maigri and April. You kinda need to have seen both movies to get this fic.  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 1: Vacations  
  
  
"Please, please don't go now, Bernard. I beg you!" Curtis fell to his knees and crawled after the Head Elf, finally grabbing on to his shoe and accidentally yanking it off.  
  
Bernard snatched it back and stared at the 1,800 year-old kid with a mixture of pity and imaptience. "I'm sorry, Curtis, but that was an order straight from the Big Guy. I gotta go. Believe me, I would rather not. Now get up, you're embarrassing me."  
  
Curtis complied, and straightened out his glasses, which had gone terribly askew. "But my brother's coming back mid-way through YOUR vacation. He'll...He'll...Well, you know Maigri."  
  
He nodded thoughtfully and put his shoe back on. "Try to take my job, no doubt. But there's no way a guy that takes one hundred year vacations will ever become Head Elf. No matter how many cookies he bakes. It's all about responsiblity."  
  
"I'm not worried about your job, Bernard. I'm worried about my face. The old wounds just completely healed!" He pointed to a scar near his left eye. "See?"  
  
Bernard squinted at it, then rolled his eyes. "Chet gave you that, not Maigri. I know, I was there. Nice try."  
  
"Well...Still!"  
  
"Now I'm sorry, but I really must go. I'm leaving you in charge." He teleported a in puff of glitter, leaving Curtis standing alone in the middle of the workshop.  
  
"I guess one hundred years of peace was just too good to last." He sighed. "Man, I need a drink."  
  
* * * *  
  
Curtis plopped down on a stool at the bar of Judy's hot chocolate café in the town square. "Give me a Choco-Moo on the rocks."  
  
Judy smiled sweetly at him and poured him a glass of chocolate milk. She slid it to him and rested her chin on her delicately folded hands. "Bad day?"  
  
He took a large gulp and whiped his mouth on his jacket sleeve before answering gruffly, "Kinda. Bernard left on his first vacation in over three hundred years, and Maigri'll be back in four days. I'm already dreading the reuinion."  
  
She winced. "Oh, I bet. Your brother is such a jerk! I don't know what his problem is."  
  
"Nobody knows for sure, but I suspect it has something to do with humans."  
  
She occupied herself with cleaning the already spotless countertop, the topic making her a bit uneasy. "Well, I say if you don't love humans why be in the Toy business?"  
  
Curtis drained the rest of his 'Choco-Moo' and slammed the glass down with satisfaction. "My thoughts exactly. He just doesn't get it. Bernard too, for that matter, but not nearly to the same degree. He at least likes Charlie. Maigri would cringe at the thought of us hanging out with him."  
  
"How old is Charlie now anyway?"  
  
"Almost eighteen."  
  
"Wow, and just the other day he was my size!"  
  
Curtis removed his cap and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, he's moving down here perminantly after he graduates in May."  
  
"Then I feel sorry for him with Maigri lurking by."  
  
He laughed bitterly. "Holiday, with Maigri around I feel sorry for us all!"  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard inhaled the sweet Caribbean air and flopped onto the warm sand. Only a few more days and he could go home to his only love: his job. He hated taking vacations because it always gave him way too much time to think. Working kept him focused, kept him from thinking about his past. But dispite all attempts to not think about it, after five days of doing practically nothing he couldn't help it anymore. He was bored out of his mind, and that only led to painful flashbacks. He stared up at the gathering clouds, his mind drifting back to one of the ugliest chapters in his life.  
  
*Flash*  
  
A gray horizon bounced nausiatingly as he dangled at the edge of a horse-drawn cart. He stared at the world with glazed-over eyes, too sick to really take anything in. He had nothing left anymore. No family. No friends. No pride. No hope. He felt numb. Completely numb...  
  
Something surprisingly cold snaped him out of that terrible reverie. Blinking, he sat up and gazed into the sky. Dark, angry clouds loomed overhead. "No, not now!"  
  
The skies opened up so quickly, he could barely reach shelter in time. He stood in the doorway, drenched and panting, shocked by the incredible rate the storm developed. He had anticipated it, of course, so the hut he built might as well been made of steel.  
  
Oh, boy, if the sunshine had been depressing...  
  
* * * *  
  
The storm blew over by morning, leaving in it's wake a shoreline littered with debris. He welcomed it, figuring the work would take his mind off things. He began collecting the driftwood and stacking it in a pile to take back home with him, figuring the elves would find some clever uses for it.  
  
After about of hour of cleaning his little island, he came across a sight that made him literally drop his work. A teenage girl lay in the damp sand, copper-colored hair sprawled around her in a hailo. He stared for a solid minute at her limp form, not thinking a thing. What a shame that her life would be snuffed out so early. Ignoring the fact that she was human, he bent down and gently took her into his arms. To his surprise, she felt warm.   
  
Having been moved, she stirred and coughed up salt water. Then she opened her glassy eyes and stared at him for a long time. Finally she touched his face to make sure he was real. This startled him, but he continued to hold her, entranced by her gaze. "Are you an angel?" She asked in a dazed, scratchy whisper.  
  
He laughed, responding without thinking, "Hardly. I'm an elf."  
  
She snorted and attempted to laugh. It failed miserably, turning into a hacking cough.  
  
As soon as he had said it, he regretted it. The rule book clearly stated that if a non-believer found out the idenity of an elf (with a few exceptions...Anyone who would become Santa, for example), that elf must take that human as their slave. Now he had to take this girl home with him. He already had one slave, he didn't need another one. He sighed and lifted her off the ground. "Let's get you somewhere dry."  
  
She groaned, but feeling oddly safe in the stranger's arms, made no resistance.  
  
At the hut, he laid her on his bed and wrapped her in a quilt. She smiled weakly at him, making him feel extremely uneasy. "So, Ophelia, what's your name?"  
  
"April *cough*."  
  
Okay...  
  
He sat on the edge of the bed and folded his hands behind his head, feeling unusually self-conscious. "I'm Bernard. I think you'll get to know me all too well before long."  
  
He glanced at her, only to discover she'd fallen asleep. He watched her breathe and suddenly caught himself smiling. Disgusted, he returned to the open air to finish his work.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: So, did it grab your attention? It's not as Mary Sue-ish as I had originally planned, lemme tell ya. You'll be hearing a lot more of this "Maigri" guy in the next chapter, when Bernard goes home. And more from April. (She will start to develope a personality in the next chapter, I promise.) Aren't you glad Judy is gonna be in this? I missed her in the second movie. And the Abby chick is her cousin in my story, but you won't hear too much from her. I know this was short, I'll try to make the next chapter longer. In posting this, I'm making myself write this story so it can stop bugging me to write it! Does that make any sense?  
  
I'm sorry if the slave thing bothers you, just don't flame me for it. Or for my abuse of poor Bernard. Like with my Digimon fic, Longing For Paradise, this story started off as a dream. And in dreams, weird stuff like this is always happening. And as with poor Davis, Bernard gets knocked around a bit. But don't worry, he doesn't get beat up nearly as bad as Davis does. Oh, and I'm working on Paradise, really I am. I'm kinda stuck on it right now, though. And school is crushing me to death...Speaking of school, I need to go write a three page paper on Hamlet. (Hence Bernard calling April Ophelia.) AND study for an Art History test about late Roman and early Christian art. Oy. Wish me luck. 


	2. Bitter Returns

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC 1 or 2...If I did, it would have turned into a television show! I own Maigri, April, and Sarah.   
  
A/N: Okay, this chapter felt unfinished, so I added another scene to the end. Just as a note: The slavery thing will be challenged later on, I promise! As you can see, Curtis and Judy are against it. Bernard and Maigri are for it, but later Bernard will realize that it's wrong. The elves are equally split over the issue. And Bernard treats Sarah very well, thank you very much! I just saw SC2 again, so I'll get right to work on chapter 3! If only I felt this inspired with my Digi-fic...*sigh* Oh well....  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 2: Bitter Returns   
  
On the last day of his trip, Bernard spent most of the morning packing. Of course, he didn't have much to pack, but he always liked to pick up souvenirs for the friends back home. He found some coconuts for the reindeer (watching them try to eat the treats provided days of entertainment), he bottled some white beach sand for the Calvins, and he procured an irridescent shell for Curtis. For himself...Well, he had a new slave-girl. Fun... She'd taken so long to recover that he wondered if she would ever get well. Indeed, she still slept in his bed...He had the ground and a few palm leaves. He wasn't about to complain, but oh boy did he miss his feather bed back home.   
  
As he packed, he felt the April's eyes on him. "What do want now? Can't you see I'm busy?"   
  
"They're all dead, aren't they?" She whispered.   
  
He turned to meet her gaze. "Who's dead?"   
  
"My family...My mom, my dad...My brother...We went sailing together, but when the storm hit and the boat sank...They're all gone, I can feel it!" She burried her face in her hands and drew in a deep breath, but refused to cry. "I don't know why I survived...And I wish I hadn't!"   
  
Bernard rolled his eyes and managed not to groan. Finally, he sat next to her on the bed. "I know it won't make you feel any better, but I have something for you."   
  
He gave her a thin, silver bracelet. She took it, and examined it carefully. "Why are you giving this to me?"   
  
"I...um, well, want you to have it. I know this material thing won't make up for what you've lost...But..." He motioned for her to put it on.   
  
She smiled weakly and slipped her hand through. "Thank you, Bernard. You've been so nice to me."   
  
"Don't thank me yet," he pulled out a remote control.   
  
"What's-" He pressed a button and a little red light lit up on the braclet, locking it to her wrist. Her eyes went wide. "What the-?"   
  
He took a deep breath and recited dully, "That bracelet, the 'Enforcer' binds you to me. You are now my slave, and you will come back with me to my home. If you try to resist or run away... Of course, you shouldn't be able to run away, because it acts as an invisible leash...But in case you do manage to break out of it, this bracelet will give you a pretty nasty shock."   
  
"What, is this some sort of joke?" She pryed at the thing, but it wouldn't budge. She clawed and bit at it, but nothing happened, except her wrist became sore. Panic bubbled up inside of her. "Why? Why are you doing this? I thought you were my friend."   
  
He looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Whatever gave you that idea?"   
  
At that, she ran out of the hut, tears blinding her vision...Of course, she didn't get far, but smacked into and invisible wall. She ran one direction, then the next, but couldn't get more than fifty feet away from Bernard. Frustrated and upset, she sat down in the sand and lost it with a high pitched wail, "Oh, why couldn't I just have died?!"   
  
He chuckled. "That would have made things better for everyone, wouldn't it?" She turned to see him leaning casually in the doorway. Suddenly, her hopelessness turned to rage and she lept at his throat. He smiled and snapped his fingers, sending a wave of pain up her arm. She stopped short and sank away, seething and craddling her hand. He just laughed. "Now, why don't you calm down and cooperate? It would make things easier for the both of us."   
  
He held out his hand.   
  
She crossed her arms and pouted.   
  
"Come on, don't be like that. I want to go home, and I'm about to leave you here." He stood directly over her, trying his best to look imposing. "Alone."   
  
"Well, w-what if I just want to be alone?"   
  
"Okay, I've had enough of you, you stubborn little girl. We're going..." He grabbed her free hand. "NOW!"   
  
After a wild ride in a rush of wind and color, she suddenly found herself on the floor of a vast room with tall stain glass windows. She looked around in awe at the toys on the tables, but more so at the children working on the toys. She whirled around to Bernard and demanded, "Where are we? What just happened?"   
  
"Would you believe me if I told you this is the North Pole?"   
  
"NO!" She grabbed the nearest person she could find. "Hey, kid, what is this place?"   
  
That kid looked at her bracelet and scrunched up his face. "Unhand me, Non-Believer. You heard him! And don't call me a kid...I'm older than your great-great-great-grandparents, thank you very much."   
  
She stared after him as he walked away, her mouth open in disbelief. "Now I'm completely confused."   
  
"As if I didn't explain enough," Bernard mumbled to himself. Only then did he notice the incredible quiet filling the Workshop. "Woah, what's wrong here?" The elves worked silently, unhappiness etched on their faces.   
  
One kid looked up from her work and spotted him for the first time. Her eyes lit up and she yelped, "Hey, everyone, Bernard's back!" Then she tackled him in a huge bear hug. Before he could even say a word, about ten other elves burried him in a dog pile, yelling things like, "You have no idea how much we missed you!" and "He just about worked us to death!" and-   
  
Suddenly, a sharp whistle blast cut through the air. All the little people quickly ran back to their posts in the blink of an eye. A short, slightly pudgy older elf in an Elizabethan collar approached him, smiled extremely fakely and tapped on his clipboard. "Good to have you back, Bernard. Have a nice vacation?"   
  
Bernard stood up and pretended to survey the situation, then clasped his hands together and dared to match his tone. "You know that little thing called a conscience that tells you when to stop the grindstone, Maigri? You obviously don't have one!"   
  
April started to run circles around him like a dog tied to a tree. He tried his best to ignore her.   
  
However, Maigri didn't. "Who's this?"   
  
He grabbed her shirt collar as she ran by. "Meet my new slave. April."   
  
"Slave? Excuse me? I did't agree to this!" She twisted out of his grip, looking about as mad as a wet cat. "I want to go home! NOW!"   
  
Everyone within hearing distance began cracking up.   
  
Bernard put on his best innocent voice. "What do you mean? This IS your home now."   
  
She growled and tried to storm off, but didn't get very far. The invisible leash yanked her back, causing her to loose her balance and topple over. Again, the Workshop became alive with laughter.   
  
Maigri whiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, what a riot, that one... She's kinda fiesty, isn't she? I'm sure you'll enjoy breaking her."   
  
"Say," Bernard turned back to Maigri. "Why are you running the show here? Where's Curtis?"   
  
Maigri just smirked in responce and sauntered off.   
  
After he'd left the room, Curtis bounced in from the other side. "BERNARD! I am so glad you're back...I-"   
  
Bernard held out his hand, causing Curtis to come to a screeching halt. "Hold on there, partner. Slow down. Take a deep breath...Now, what's going on?"   
  
He sucked in a deep lungful of air and barked, "Maigri's been promoted ABOVE ME! I'm no longer Number Two, I'm...I'm..." He growled in frustration.   
  
"Number Three?" Bernard finished with a look of pain at the thought of Maigri being his second in command. "How did that happen?"   
  
"He claimed I was being too leinent with the workers! Can you believe that? He said 'Their effeicency continues to slip drastically...' Blah blah blah, until the end of time...." He flailed his arms around helplessly. "A-and he baked five HUNDRED freaking cookies for Santa!"   
  
"Five hundred, huh?" The Head Elf rubbed his forehead and stated in a totally not surprised voice, "Wow, that must be a new record."   
  
Curtis clinched his fists. "Sometimes, I...I...I just wanna smack him!"   
  
"Don't we all?" One of the elves asked quietly as he passed by. Several others turned their laughing into coughing, just in case Maigri could somehow magically hear them.   
  
Bernard sighed. "Doesn't he know that happy elves make better toys than unhappy elves?"   
  
The other elf crossed his arms and attempted unsuccessfully to calm down. "Apparently not."   
  
"Boy, he sounds like a jerk," April commented, then smiled. "Even worse than you, Bernard!"   
  
"That's my brother, ya gotta love him," Curtis mumbled, but quickly changed thought-tracks as he noticed April. He pointed at her. "Who's the girl?"   
  
Bernard sighed. "I found her...She's my new, uh-"   
  
Curtis exhaled loudly. "Slave? Bernard, don't you already have one?"   
  
"You want her?"   
  
April gasped. "You're giving me away, just like that? I can't believe you! You're so-" They ignored her, causing her to throw up her hands and turn away from them.   
  
Curtis climbed up onto his little figurative soap box. "No way, in case you've forgotton, I'm kinda against slavery. It's so eighteen-hundreds, ya know? Besides, I don't think anyone has the right to claim that they are above anyone else. That goes against everything we stand for as Christmas elves."   
  
Bernard leaned forward and whispered in a know-it-all tone, "We're not true Christmas elves, Curtis. Slavery of humans is perfectly legal in our tribe-"   
  
"Both of us have renounced our tribe. Or should I say, what's left of it. I don't know about you, but as far as I'm conserned they never existed. They were all a bunch of closed minded jerks...Kinda like Maigri, only a lot worse. Remember?"   
  
He snorted, trying very hard not to remember, and quickly changed the subject. "I figured Sarah could use some company. She's been a bit depressed lately."   
  
Curtis tried not to grin. "Well, rumor has it, it's 'cause you won't let her see her boyfriend in Packaging."   
  
Bernard pointed at the boy's nose. "Now you just cut that out. She does NOT have a boyfriend, especially not one who's an elf. That's just plain wrong!"   
  
"Whatever. *giggle* They say denile is more than just a big river in Egypt."   
  
Bernard rolled his eyes and playfully bopped Curtis on the head. "Come on, April. I want to introduce you to your new roomate."   
  
* * * *  
  
"Sarah, I'm back!" Bernard threw his bag on the over-stuffed couch by the door and looked around his spacious yet sparcely decorated appartment. Home.  
  
"So soon, Master?" A dull looking ten year-old girl with waist-length french braided hair waltzed out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron. She smiled warmly.  
  
He put on a mock-hurt face. "'So soon?' What kind of greeting is that?" His eyes narrowed. "And why did you call me Master? I haven't heard you do that in over fifty years." April's eyes widened, but she said nothing.  
  
The girl looked around, desprate for an answer. She randomly moved her mouth (which resulted in guilty squeaky noises) and finally caught sight of April pouting in the doorway. "Whoooo's this?"  
  
"The name's April." She scrunched up her nose. "I'm his hostiage."  
  
Sarah raised her eyebrows in surprise.  
  
Bernard winced. "I accidentally slipped to her that I'm an elf...So you'll be having a new roomate for a while."  
  
"Good, I was going out of my mind with boredom. You know, because I never have anything to do." She winked playfully at him and wandered back into the kitchen.  
  
"Say, are those cookies?" He grinned and quickly followed after her. "'Cause when you've eaten nothing but raw fish for two weeks, cookies sound like simply a dream."  
  
April found herself alone in the middle of the living room. She threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, fine. Just forget all about me!"  
  
"Believe me," He answered from the next room, the sound muted by a mouthful of cookies. "I wish I could."  
  
April snorted and flopped down on the couch. She listened to the two catching up until the soft sofa rushed her off into dreamland. 


	3. Uncharted Waters

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Disclaimer: Judging by what you've read so far, does it sound like I own the Santa Clause charas? I mean, come on! No, I dun't own the Santa Clause. Either of them. Are you happy now, Disney? But I DO own April, Sarah, and Maigri, so just back off!  
  
A/N: Okay, this is a transition chapter. In other words, I don't have anything planned for this one, so I'm making it all up as I go along. I suspect it might get a bit fluffy, so be warned! I've never written romance before, and heck, I've never even been in a steady relationship with anyone before, so um yeah...But I've read enough romance fics to be able to fake it pretty convencingly, I hope.  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 3: Uncharted Waters  
  
"You seem a bit distracted today, Bernard. Is anything wrong?" Judy handed him a silver cup, filled practically to the top with her special blend cocoa. Hot but not scalding, just the way he liked it.  
  
He took it and stared at the rising steam, his eyes glazing over. "There's a lot wrong, Judy. Where should I start?" She opened her mouth to suggest something, but he interrupted her. "I've been having bad dreams lately."  
  
She leaned forward, her interest perking. "Really? What sort of dreams?"  
  
He responded in a hollow tone, "Apocaliptic ones. Nightmares. I don't get nightmares...Usually...And when I do, they're nothing like these. I feel like things are about to change for the worst, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."  
  
"Bad dreams are normally triggered by a radical change in one's life. Anything happen to you that would make you upset or unhappy or unusually stressed?"  
  
He snorted and took a gulp of the cocoa. "In answer to all three, I have one but word: April."  
  
* * * *  
  
"What on Earth do you do to keep from going insane, locked up all day like this?" April sifted in the chair from which she had been commanded not to move. She simply itched for something to keep her mind occupied.  
  
Sarah folded her hands on the table and sighed heavily. "Nothing, really. I've learned how to be patient with Bernard's long absences. He really likes his job."  
  
"How long have you been his slave, Sarah? If you don't mind me asking."  
  
Sarah stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember the exact date. She'd stopped keeping track a while ago. "Well, I guess about three hundred years now, but I'm not entirely sure about that."  
  
April groaned and banged her head against the table several times. "No, no, no! I'm going to be stuck serving that jerk for the rest of eternity!"  
  
"Bernard isn't nearly as bad as you make him out to be."  
  
April shot the girl a death-glare. "Easy for you to say, he treats you like an old buddy. He has something against me. I would prefer to just make friends with him, but no! What'd he do? Snapped this Enforcer thing on my wrist and made me his slave!"  
  
Sarah pointed to her own wrist where the little red light blinked pointedly. "But you're right, he does seem to treat you differently. If you want, I could talk to him about it."  
  
"No. Thanks." She ran a hand threw her curly strawberry blond hair nervously and pounded on the table. "I just need something to do! Anything, I don't care what it is!"  
  
"You could clean...I haven't scrubbed the tile in the bathroom for at least a week."  
  
April made a face, but concented. "Lead the way, girlfriend. I said I'd do anything, and I meant it."  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard drained the last of his cocoa and stared at the bottom of the cup like more would magically appear there. "I've only had her for a month, and she's already making me miserable. It's always, 'I wanna go home' or 'that is so unfair, why does SHE get to go out?' and stuff like that. A-and she fidgets."  
  
Judy raised an eyebrow. "Fidgets?"  
  
He waved his arms, eyes flashing with pent-up frustration. "With everything! I swear, that girl has way too much energy. Why couldn't she be calm, laid back, and (no offense but) dense like Sarah? April thinks too much about everything. Asks way too many questions."  
  
Judy smiled, more to herself than to Bernard. "She reminds me of you, from your description."  
  
"What? You're crazy!"  
  
"She's loud, opinionated, emotional...Likes to keep busy...Is probably as head-strong and as passionate about things as you are...I think if you would stop getting at each other's throats you'd find yourself a really good friend. Maybe even more than a-"  
  
He smacked the countertop, making her jump. "Just stop right there, Judy. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I could never like that girl. She's too...Disagreeable!" He angerly threw her some change for the drink and spat bitterly, "Besides, she's human."  
  
He stormed out, mind clouded in emotional distress.  
  
She smiled to herself again and collected her money. "Oh, but I saw that look in your eyes, Bernard. I think you're already falling in love with her. And if what I suspect is right, I bet she's falling for you too."  
  
Curtis entered the café, scratching his forehead. "What was Bernard so upset about? He practically flattened me, and didn't even appologize."  
  
"I can't tell you that, Curtis. Customer confedintiality, I'm afraid."  
  
"Oh, come on! Just a hint?"  
  
She blushed. Always was a sucker for his puppy face. "Let's just say, he's encountering something new that's making him extremely uncomfortable."  
  
He shook his head, disappointed. "Okay, whatever. I want a-"  
  
* * * *  
  
"Gotta love that pine scent, don't ya?" Sarah leaned against the doorframe and watched April attack the floor with incredible vigor.  
  
April grunted. "Everything around here smells like pine...Or cinnamon...Or nutmeg...Or pumpkin...Or chocolate, but I'll never get tired of chocolate. I mean, even his shampoo smells like gingerbread cookies, I swear! Although, I think I kinda like the smell of that stuff..."  
  
The timer buzzed in the kitchen. "Hey, I'm gonna check the turkey in the oven. Are you going to be okay without me?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I'll live."  
  
Sarah scuddled off, leaving April alone with the porcelin tiles that weren't really dirty. She sighed and looked longingly at the clawfoot bathtub. It would be so nice to steal away sometime and take a nice steamy bubble bath...She resumed her activity, and became so absorbed in it that she didn't even sense the other presence in the room until it spoke from right behind her.  
  
"Enjoying yourself?"  
  
She jumped and came very close to tipping over the bucket of soapy water. "DON'T DO THAT! You practically scared the crap out of me!"  
  
Bernard smiled curtly. "What do you think you're doing?"   
  
"I'm cleaning, what's it look like?"  
  
He crossed his arms impatiently. "Do those tiles look like they need to be cleaned?"  
  
She looked around at her reflection in the floor and frowned. "I guess not."  
  
He snapped his fingers, delivering an annoying but not painful shock to her arm. "Somebody moved, after I distinctly told her not to."  
  
She took off her rubber gloves and threw them on the ground. "Oh, come off of it, Bernard. You can't expect me to sit there and do absolutely nothing all freakin' day."  
  
"Says who? Last time I checked, I was your master and you were my slave. I can make you do whatever I want." He grabbed her arms and yanked her roughly to her feet, while subconsciously taking a certain amount of care not to hurt her. (After all, according to the Handbook, if he did, he'd hafta free her. Or so he'd like to tell himself.)  
  
She looked him square in the eye and declaired boldly, "I'm not afraid of you."  
  
He lowered his voice and shook her slightly with every word, "Oh, but you will be, April. I'll break you yet, and when I do it will be very sweet indeed."  
  
She didn't back down, but didn't say another word to enrage him further. She looked into his eyes for so long she realized for the first time that they were a deep chocolate brown. Funny, she'd been thinking he had cold, black eyes, but now they seemed almost warm. Then again, that was problably the fire of his hatred making them that way, but suddenly she didn't even feel angry at him anymore. All the negative emotions drained away, leaving her tranquil in his arms. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face and on her neck and...  
  
"Why are you looking at me that way?" He loosened his grip on her, his stomach tightening into a knot at the serenity softening her features.  
  
She replied in a thick whisper, "I told you I'm not afraid of you. I meant it."  
  
They stared at each other for another solid minute, too lost in each other's eyes to speak or even move.  
  
"Dinner's ready!" The sound of Sarah's voice barking at them from the kitchen table made them both snap out of it with a jolt. He hastily let go of her and they wondered out dazed and tried to act as though nothing had happened. But Bernard's racing pulse led him to wonder with a certain amount of dread if maybe Judy had been right after all.  
  
* * * *  
  
That night, he had another nightmare.  
  
He tossed and turned as the images flashed by, watching the scenes play out in fast motion and not being able to do anything to stop the terror. He groaned and sat up with a gasp, suddenly wide awake. The memory of the dream evaporated from his mind immediately, conveniently leaving the panic behind. He looked around, and locked eyes with April. She sat in the chair next to his bed, staring at him with wide, concerned eyes.   
  
He swallowed hard, and attempted clear his reeling mind. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
Her voice came out small and choked, "Y-you called my name...I figured..."  
  
He ran his shaking hands through his hair and took some deep breaths. "Okay, um...Uh, get me a glass of water."  
  
"But you already have a-"  
  
He thrust the full glass into her hands and nodded forcefully. "A FRESH glass, if you would."  
  
She went to the bathroom and returned with some more. He gulped down about half the glass and absent-mindedly uttered, "Thanks, dear."  
  
Thinking he was being sarcastic, she answered equally sarcastically, "You're welcome, honey."  
  
He raised his eyebrows at her. "What did you just say?"  
  
"I said 'You're welcome, honey'. Because you called me 'dear'."  
  
"I...Did?" The color drained from his face. Good thing the room was still dark. Boy, how out of character was that? There was definately something wrong going on with him. Strange dreams, strange...Pet names...Ugh...  
  
"Ye-ah." She rolled her eyes. "Now, if all you wanted was a fresh glass of water, then I'm going back to sleep."  
  
He grabbed her arm. "This never happened, okay? It was all a dream, nothing more."  
  
"Whatever." She slipped her hand out of his and returned to her bunk bed next door. Needless to say, she couldn't sleep. That's why she'd been in there staring at him in the first place, but now...  
  
Both couldn't help but ask themselves one question:  
  
What the heck was that?  
  
* * * *  
  
And please don't ask me that question. That scene was a dream I had a while ago and thought would make a cute ending. 'Kay? They're confused, up to their eyes in 'Uncharted Waters'. Enough said. It's late and I was watching Angel when I wrote like half of this, so I was distracted. I appologize. I probably won't get to write again (for school related reasons) until next weekend, so here you go! Hope you enjoyed it, and that you don't think I'm a total flake now...*Sweatdrop* 


	4. Charlie and the Love Boat Express

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Disclaimer: What don't I own? SC! What DO I own...? Well, you should know by now...It isn't much, lemme tell ya. I'm just a poor college student. Worse yet, I'm just a poor ART student!  
  
  
A/N: I have a large number of points I'm gonna make, so please bear with me.  
  
First, I wanna thank all who've reviewed. Your words of encouragement have been so great for my downed self-esteem.  
  
(More specifically) To Saturniia, thanks for addressing me in your fic. If you thought Bernard was a *cough* in Chapter 2, then he's something I really can't say in this one. I'm just gonna warn you, Bernard gets truly scary in this chapter. But don't worry, this is as dark as he gets. (But don't quote me on that.) He will become nicer after this, but unfortunately, there must be darkness before dawn. I just hope it doesn't scare you off! (Oh, and my name's spelled with two i's= Shmeilia, one before and after the L. I really should pick an easier name to spell.)  
  
And to Amiella Rogue, this fic's for you! *wink* All except the end, which might disturb you.  
  
Secondly, I wanna announce that I'm starting a "Bernard Fan Fic Shrine" on my website, so if any of you wanna send me your stuff, I would be eternally grateful. Don't worry; I'll give you your rightful credit! I just think it's SO cool that there are so many fellow Bernard lovers out there...And here I thought I was the only one! (I tend to like the charas nobody else likes, for some unknown reason.) Anyway, if you would please send me a copy of your fics (Please! I beg you!) to shmeiliarockie@hotmail.com  
  
Thirdly, more AU warnings: I've changed Quinton's character entirely from what it was in the first movie. He seemed really nice, but for future plot reasons he's a bit of a jerk. I mean, he was kind of a flat chara in the first place, so I'm throwing a kink in his personality. And Bernard gets a bit ugly with April for a reason known only to him and me. Okay, that's a lie, I told y'all 'bout it in Chapter 1's intro. I know it's probably going to enrage all of you, but please just trust me. It will work out okay in the end! And so I've boosted the rating to PG-13 for the language and the violence.  
  
Fourthly and finally, READ! And don't flame, please! I'm fragile right now...*Cries just thinking about getting flamed.*  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 4: Charlie and the Love Boat Express  
  
  
"April, come here." Bernard waved impatiently at the girl loafing at the kitchen table.  
  
Reluctantly she obeyed, trotting over to him with fake enthusiasm. "Yes, Master?"  
  
"Don't call me master," he chided. "It makes me feel bad."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry..." She smirked and added quietly enough so Sarah couldn't hear, "Honey."  
  
He gave her a double-take, then backed her against the front door and scolded her with a hushed but harsh tone. "None of that. We decided to pretend that never happened, remember?"  
  
"Oh, sure, I remember." She wiggled out from between him and the door, not wanting to repeat that incident all over again.  
  
He let her get within a comfortable distance, then took a deep breath and tried to sound upbeat. "Today is an important day for you. You get to run your first errand for me."  
  
Her eyes went wide and she jumped around in a little circle. "Oh, goodie! I get to leave this trap for a while and visit the land of the living!"  
  
"I'll ignore that..." He pulled an envelope out of nowhere. "You need to take this to the Head of Research and Development, on five, okay? Can you remember that?"  
  
"I haven't got a clue where that is, but sure..." She shrugged and took it from him anyway.  
  
"You'll know. It's magically encoded on the paper." He reached for the door handle, then stopped and pointed at her. "Put up your hood first."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Bernard exhaled loudly, having forgotten how new she was to the whole slave thing. "Slaves must wear hoods over their faces when in public. So go on, put it up."  
  
She mumbled, but pulled the hood of her green velvet dress over her head. "And I just thought it was there for decoration."  
  
He flashed a half-smile and flung open the door. He commanded in a tone that made him sound like a worried parent, "Good, now go. And don't dawdle, okay? Come straight back!"  
  
"Yes, Master! Right away..." She hiked up her skirt and leapt out in over-exaggerated gracefulness.  
  
He made a "fine, then" face (for lack of better wording on the author's part) at her before shutting the door. He leaned warily against it and glanced in Sarah's direction. "Must she do that?"  
  
She tried unsuccessfully to hide her grin. "You like it and you know it. Sir!"  
  
He smacked his forehead. "Oh, no. Not you too, Sarah. Please!"  
  
"Sorry, Bernard. Simply couldn't help myself." She curtsied in brisk apology, but obviously didn't mean it.   
  
He rolled his eyes and grabbed his orange bag from the coat rack next to the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to. Charlie's moving in permanently, and I have the duty to help him settle in. So, I probably won't be back for a while."  
  
She nodded, now completely serious. "I understand, sir. I'll have dinner ready, as usual."  
  
* * * *  
  
April came to an intersection and squinted at the envelope. Directions appeared there, as if written by an invisible hand. "Okay, then. Almost there." She looked to the left at a bunch of elves pointing and whispering. Boy, she wished she could sock them all, teach them a good lesson about- Instead, she swallowed her anger and kept on going. Finally she reached a set of pearlescent doors with the words "Research and Development" over them. She let out a sigh of relief; it'd been quite a trip.  
  
The second she opened the door, something inside blew up, sending sparks, debris and whatnot in her direction. She gasped and dodged out of the way as thick, black smoke poured out. A boy inside coughed and kicked something hollow and metallic, roaring, "Bloody 'oliday, I thought for sure it would work this time!"  
  
As soon as she could kinda see, she wondered inside. "Excuse me?"  
  
Quinton pulled off his goggles, leaving a huge patch of clean flesh on his otherwise filthy face. He frowned. "What now? This better be important."  
  
She wanted oh so badly to make a random sarcastic remark, but held her tongue and handed him the envelope. Curious, she stuck around to see his reaction as he tore open the letter, read it impatiently and-  
  
"I'VE BEEN WHAT?!?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard looked at his watch and bounced his knee impatiently. He hated being too early to anything, so decided to stand around and glare at some lazy elves for ten minutes. They finally got the hint and scurried back to work, just as Curtis approached him.  
  
Bernard's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Oh, my wrapping paper! Curtis, what happened?"  
  
Curtis removed an ice pack from over his blackened eye and put his glasses on. He sounded remarkably calm as he explained, "Well, I was on my way to complain to Santa about Maigri when I ran into him."  
  
Bernard jerked back, confused. "Sant-"  
  
"Or should I say," Curtis barked over him, cutting him off. His anger became obvious as he shook the ice pack at Bernard in emphasis, "That I ran into Maigri's FIST!"  
  
"Oh." Bernard's watch chirped and he started off in the direction of the reindeer stables. He turned and beckoned Curtis to come with him. Drained from the topic, he explained, "We simply don't tolerate violence in the workplace. You really need to talk to him now."  
  
The younger elf made a rude noise and reapplied the ice. "I don't want Maigri's fist to meet my other eye!" He winced at the thought and asked weakly, "Could you do it for me?"  
  
"I'll try, but I think you should do it yourself." He reached the doors and let Curtis through first. "Let Santa see your eye first hand. That alone should be enough to get Maigri canned."  
  
Curtis laughed half-heartedly. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? Too bad IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN!"  
  
"Here he comes, clam up." They took their positions by the double doors and tried to look pleasant. Bernard absent-mindedly wondered if he should send Curtis away. A black eye doesn't give a good impression, after all. But then again, this was Charlie we're talking about. He would be concerned, of course, but that wouldn't make him want to leave or anything.  
  
It soon became obvious that Charlie was riding Chet, the clumsy reindeer. They wobbled dangerously in the sky before sliding in the room and screeching to a halt. The young man climbed off rather shakily and scratched Chet behind the ear. "Goood boy, Chet. You're doing much better now than you were a year ago. Keep working on it, and one day you might even lead the team!"  
  
Chet giggled and scampered off to his stable for some lunch. It had been a long trip.  
  
Charlie exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his wind-blown hair. He turned to Bernard and Curtis. "Hey, guys! How's it going?"  
  
"Good." They piped, in that way that always lets one know that nothing's good.  
  
"Whoa, Curtis, what happened to your eye? Are you okay?"  
  
Curtis sighed. "Yeah, I'll tell you about it later."  
  
"And how are you, Charlie?" Bernard quickly asked with a fake smile.  
  
"Oh, great! I've graduated...I'm engaged..."  
  
Curtis smiled genuinely for the first time all day. "Oh, congratulations. Who's the lucky girl?"  
  
"Danielle. My first and only love." He stared into space with a love-sick expression on his face.  
  
*GAG*. Bernard tried not to make a disgusted face. He tried really hard, really he did. "Ah, your...er...'Childhood Sweetheart'?"  
  
"Yep." He bit his lip and snapped painfully back to reality. "But anyway...I guess the first thing I should do is check in with Dad and tell him I'm here."  
  
"I'll do it!" Curtis took the excuse to find a fresh ice pack. He ran away quickly, leaving Charlie with a "but I wanted to talk to Dad!" expression on his face.  
  
Bernard clasped his hands together. "Do you want me to take you to your room? Everything's laid out for you."  
  
"Nah. I was wondering if you could help me find a job. I'm anxious to become a contributing member of this community."  
  
Sometimes Charlie could be REALLY sappy.   
  
"Funny you should say that. We just had an opening in the Research and Development department. You're an inventor, aren't you?"  
  
"Well, I'd like to think so..." Charlie smiled modestly. "What position is it?"  
  
"The Head-"  
  
*Choke* "ARE YOU KIDDING?!?"   
  
"No..."  
  
The young man looked as though all his dreams were coming true at once. "Head? Head of Research and Development? You want ME to be the HEAD of Research and Development?"  
  
Bernard rolled his eyes. "YES."  
  
Then Charlie stopped in his tracks. "Wait, what happened to Quinton?"  
  
"Well, it came into light that his morals were, shall we say, being compromised in his work. So, I demoted him."  
  
*Flash*  
  
Quinton is wearing an "elf costume" and ringing a bell outside of a Wal-Mart on a cold, snowy night. Someone throws some change in this collection can. He growls, "I'll get you for this, Bernard. Someday, I swear, I'll make you PAY!"  
  
*End Flash*  
  
Charlie frowned. "Oh my."  
  
"Come on, I'll show you to your new office."  
  
* * * *  
  
April walked in the door and removed her hood. She looked around and collapsed into a nearby overstuffed chair. "Boy, that was fun."  
  
Sarah wasn't phased by April's obvious sarcasm. She sighed. "I wish I could still go out."  
  
"Yeah, me too." She sat up. "Why can't you?"  
  
"Um, well...I shouldn't say..."  
  
"Oh, please tell me, so I can do it too."  
  
Sarah blushed. A lot. "Well. There's. A. Boy..."  
  
"Oh! I see..." April grinned. "And Bernard, being the controlling jerk that he is, won't let you go see him."  
  
She pretended to be fascinated by the dust on a shelf. "It's because the guy I like is an elf, and Bernard doesn't believe in human/elf relationships."  
  
April snorted, as if to say, 'Figures.' "What's his name?"  
  
She smiled. "André. He's cute and sweet, is pro-human (obviously), works in the Packaging department, has a puppy named Cheer, and I really really really like him a lot!"  
  
April almost said awww, out loud, but contained herself. "If you want, I can run him a note for you."  
  
Sarah's eyes went wide. "Oh, would you?"  
  
"Sure. Just tell me what he looks like and where to find him."  
  
"I have a picture of him! Here..." She pulled out a heart-shaped locket with his picture inside. It was tiny and fuzzy, but April could make out his features well enough. He had dark, curly, mad-scientist hair, and a goofy grin on his youthful face. This should be simple enough.  
  
* * * *  
  
Charlie sat at his new desk and inhaled with deep satisfaction. He loved the smell of chemistry in the afternoon. "Boy, if I'd known rising to the head of a department would be this easy, I would have tried to do it years ago." He smiled to himself and picked up a random prototype toy. He chuckled.  
  
There was a knock on his door. "Come in?"  
  
Maigri walked in and glanced around. He frowned. "Hey, slave, what are you doing just sitting there?"  
  
"Huh?" A 'cat in the headlights' look fell across his face. Slave?  
  
"I'm looking for an elf named Charlie. Where is he?"  
  
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I'm Charlie."  
  
"Don't lie to me, slave. You can't be the Head of this department. You're human!"  
  
"So?" Now he was really confused. Why was this crazy elf calling him a slave? "What does that have anything to do with me being in an important position?"  
  
Maigri's face went red, and steam practically poured out of his pointed ears. He slammed his fists onto the desk and got in Charlie's face. "Don't give me that tone! Who's your master?"  
  
"I don't have a master! I'm not a slave!"  
  
"LIAR!"  
  
Santa chose that moment to walk in the door. "Maigri, what the holly is going on here?"  
  
"Dad! This crazy guy keeps accusing me of being a slave!" Charlie looked as though he would have a panic attack any moment.  
  
Maigri looked back and forth between Charlie and Scott Calvin. He pointed to Charlie, "You mean, this is your SON?"  
  
"Yes, Maigri, Charlie is my son. Now if you don't apologize and get out of here right now, I'll demote you!"  
  
"Sorry!" He squeaked (without looking Charlie in the eye) and ran out of the room as quickly as possible.  
  
Charlie tried unsuccessfully to shake the frightened, confused look from his face. "What the heck was that all about?"  
  
Scott gave his son a crushing bear hug before answering, "The elves evidentially keep human non-believers as slaves."  
  
"That's not right!"  
  
Santa sighed heavily. "I know, Charlie. But what can you? Slavery is a tradition that's gone back generations."  
  
Charlie rooted around for the right words. "Can't you abolish it or something?"  
  
"I've been trying ever since I learned of it. Don't think I haven't. But the elves are divided on the subject. Too many are pro-slavery and not enough are pro-human. Even Bernard has two slaves!"  
  
Charlie didn't like this piece of news. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. But let's not talk about it now. How are you? Sorry I missed graduation; I really wanted to see it."  
  
* * * *  
  
Sarah was right, André really was sweet. He greeted April warmly and handed her a long love letter. He even thanked her. Now, the trick was getting home before Bernard.  
  
She rounded a corner and bumped into someone, causing the hood to fall from around her head. Oh, crap, speak of the devil.  
  
"April, what are you doing here? You should have been home hours ago."  
  
"I, um, uh..." She tried to hide the letter, but not before he saw it.  
  
"What's this?" He snatched it from her and read it. He crumpled it into a little ball and tossed it into a trash can before rounding on her. "You were going behind my back."  
  
"Can you blame me?"  
  
"I strictly forbade Sarah to communicate with that André guy. And you helped her."  
  
"She loves him. Who are you to deny her seeing the guy she loves?"  
  
"I am her master!" He shouted without any regard to where he was. He shook her violently. "Don't you understand that? There isn't a moment she eats or sleeps when I don't will it. You should be as devoted!"  
  
April couldn't take it any more. She'd put up with this attitude of his long enough, and now dared to stand up to it. "You're such a controlling bastard, Bernard!"  
  
*SMACK* He slapped her so hard it knocked her to the ground. "Don't you EVER call me that AGAIN! EVER!"  
  
Silence filled the workshop. Every eye fell on them, but neither of them noticed. A solid minute passed by with them frozen, April shaking on the floor and Bernard standing threateningly over her.  
  
April turned to look up at him with fearful, tear-filled eyes and touched the place on her face that was already turning red. The light on her bracelet blinked more and more rapidly until it stayed on continuously.  
  
Bernard stepped back, horrified at what he'd done. "April, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"  
  
Maigri's way-too-cheery voice called over the intercom system, "Bernard, please go straight to Santa's office. NOW. And bring the slave girl!"  
  
Then the whispers started.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Whoo-doggie! That was a long 'un. Now I know you're full of "But Bernard isn't like that"'s, but just trust me. I'm almost done with Chapter 5. (It's long too.) I'll try to post it later this week.  
  
I would like to close this chapter with a quote from Duncan Sheik's song, 'Genius': "Clearly I'm a genius, if she only knew it. But somewhere in her radius, I really blew it. I know, I know what I said to her, and I know what I did. What I don't know is how I could ever be so incredibly STUPID." 


	5. Consequences of Guilt

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Santa Clause 1 OR 2, okay? I just own my charas (April, Maigri and Sarah), and the plot. Not the premise, nor any of the movie charas. So don't sue me, okay Disney?  
  
A/N: Thanks to Falconess for proof reading! I guess you could call her my Beta-reader... Bad spellers of the world UNTIE! (I saw that on a tee-shirt once!) A wanna thank all my reviewing fans for liking my weird dream-spawn! I love you guys SO much!  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 5: Consequences of Guilt  
  
"I don't understand, Bernard. This isn't like you." Scott looked at his Head Elf with a mixture of concern and complete disappointment.  
  
"I know!" Bernard, who refused to look him in the eye, chewed on the edge of his thumbnail distractedly. "She...She just pushed me too far."  
  
"But you HIT her. I've never seen you hit anyone."  
  
"That's because I don't hit people. I have a non-violence policy." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. A wave of guilt made him subconsciously turn further away from his employer. He realized with concern he was regressing to his "pre-Christmas" nature, that nervous, neglected slave boy that still lurked in the back of his mind. The slave boy that jumped at the slightest sound and couldn't look anyone in the eye out of shame. Shame for being something he couldn't control.   
  
Bastard.   
  
Funny how that one little word could bring about such a radical shift in personality of the elf. He fought the transformation as hard as he could, but couldn't totally escape it. He could feel his stress level shoot up almost to the breaking point, for confrontation of this magnitude always stressed him out. (A/N: It does me too...*sigh*)  
  
Carole came in with a fresh batch of cookies. Almost magically, she knew exactly where the conversation had been going without her. "Then what happened?"  
  
He threw April a poisonous glance, but she just stared at her hands. Her hair covered her eyes, shielding her from looking at him. "She called me a..."  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Claus leaned forward expectantly.  
  
He grumbled incoherently, covering his mouth with his hand.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
Bernard wrote it on a scrap of paper and shoved it in their direction. Their eyes went wide and they glanced nervously at each other. "Oh. That explains it."  
  
He nodded and exhaled loudly. Keep it under control. Breathe. Breathe.  
  
Scott tossed the scrap back onto his desk. "But that doesn't excuse what you did. You still must set her free."  
  
"Fine." He dug around in his bag and produced a silver skeleton key. He handed it to Santa, who gently took April's Enforcer. April rubbed her wrist, but still kept her eyes on the ground. She looked vacant.  
  
"Come on, honey," Carole helped April out of the chair and directed her to the door. "I'll show you where you'll be staying for a while. I think you'll like it."  
  
After the door clicked shut, Santa spoke to Bernard in a hushed voice. "Now, according to the Handbook, you have one month to find her an apartment of her own, and a job. Can you do that?"  
  
"I guess I must." He picked up the statue Scott had been using as a paper weight and studied it with great interest. "I'm not going to loose my job for this, am I?"  
  
"No. If it had been anyone but you, yes, but you're too valuable to replace. And there is no way in holiday I'm giving that jerk Maigri the Head Elf position." They both chuckled half-heartedly. Scott took back his paper weight and sighed. "Just don't do it again."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
* * * *  
  
The fog swirled around, taking him back to a grisly chapter in his past. The past he never told anyone about.  
  
They pulled him out of the lake, limp and pale, but alive. Bernard leaned on the willow next to the shore and stared at his feet. There had been nothing he could have done to save him. Yet, his half brother was his responsibility, his sole reason for existing. There would be a beating for this for sure, but he deserved it. He'd failed.  
  
A hand caught hold of his arm and whirled him around, snapping him out of his thoughts. His so-called father's eyes bulged, bloodshot with anger. He shook Bernard violently. "You stupid boy, you were right there and did nothing."  
  
"I-I cannot swim, I would have drowned as well."  
  
"Better you than him, half-breed." The man tossed him to the ground and kicked him hard in the ribs. "I always suspected you had it in for Dairn, but this proves it. You were trying to kill him!"  
  
"No! He's my brother, and I love him." Bernard sat up painfully.  
  
He spit. "You're a lying, half human bastard, and I refuse to let you live in my house anymore. First thing in the morning, I'm taking you to market."  
  
"What? Father, please, forgive me! I- Don't sell me. Anything but that." The young elf held out his hands wearily. "Forgive me. Father..."  
  
"I am not your father any more than you are my son. By this time tomorrow, you will be out of all our lives forever. Now, come on." He roughly yanked Bernard to his feet and dragged him quickly along the path back to the house. "You'll sleep in the shed tonight. And no dinner."  
  
His father opened the door and tossed him inside. Bernard scrambled to his feet and pounded on the door. He couldn't hide his panic anymore. "Don't, Father! Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"  
  
Click. Locked.  
  
He stumbled back from the door, terror filling his eyes. In the morning, he would be sold as a common slave. Not even his mother would be able to change her husband's decision now. That is, if she even tried. Slavery had been his biggest fear, and the very next day it would become a living nightmare. He would rather die, than- Suddenly, he remembered the knife he "borrowed" from the kitchen, stored away in his stocking. He pulled it out and stared at it, knowing the decision to use it would be the last thing he would ever do. He couldn't spend the rest of his life as a slave. He just couldn't. Death would bring him peace, at least. That calm nothingness he always ached for.  
  
He lowered the blade to that little throbbing vein on his wrist and pulled sharply...  
  
*Gasp* His eyes popped open. He lay safe in his bed, tangled in the covers.  
  
"A dream. It was just a dream." Bernard sat up and his heart skipped a beat. A deathly pale elf about Curtis's age with unruly dark hair and tattered clothes stared unblinking at him from the foot of his bed. He noticed with horror the boy's slit wrists. The open wounds did not bleed; this elf had most certainly deceased. The whites of his eyes glowed unnaturally in the darkness. Bernard drew his quilt closer to his chin subconsciously and choked out, "W-who are you?"  
  
"You know very well who I am, Bernard," the boy responded in a hollow, monotone voice.  
  
His blood ran cold. "You're me, aren't you?"  
  
"I am the ghost of who you once were!" The boy leapt onto the bed and crouched there like a gargoyle. He pointed, declaring menacingly, "You are a monster, just like your father."  
  
"No," Bernard croaked, shrinking back. "I'm nothing like him!"  
  
The ghost's eyes narrowed. "What happened to your vow never to strike another in anger?"  
  
"I...I..." He looked away, too ashamed to answer.  
  
It stood over him. "In breaking that vow and hitting the innocent girl, you've become the very man you hate most. Just admit it; you LIKED having that power over her."  
  
"No," he moaned, covering his ears. "I-I didn't!"  
  
The spirit raised its voice. "Did you really hate her that much?"  
  
He looked it in the eye, suddenly feeling angry at its accusation. "I don't hate her. I never did."  
  
"LIAR!" It thrust the damaged wrists under his nose and shook them with every word. "Do you see these?"  
  
He nodded violently, adrenaline surging through his system.  
  
"In that instance YOU KILLED ME. You killed everything you once stood for, everything you should have been. Slavery? Violence? Weren't those things you would have once died to oppose? So you see, you're truly dead to me now. And I you."  
  
"But-" He turned away, not wanting to look at the ugly cuts any more. His stomach churned, hitting him with a wave of nausea.  
  
"Your physical wounds have healed, but the emotional ones never will. And neither will hers, thanks to you." It once again stood up and back off the edge of the bed, his actions like a tape in rewind. "You shall not sleep until you have her forgiveness. Understand?"  
  
He squeezed his eyes shut and whispered softly, painfully, "Yes."  
  
The vision faded away, leaving him sitting up in bed, without being aware of the actual transition from sleeping to waking. In his mind at least, he'd been awake the whole time. After about a minute of staring where the ghost had been, he snapped out of his trance and looked around. He flipped on the light and called out weakly, "Sarah?"  
  
She came in, rubbing her eyes. "Yes, Bernard? Are you okay?"  
  
He peeled back the covers and rolled out of bed, feeling strangely numb after the encounter. He grabbed a bathrobe and hastily threw it over his silk pajamas, then cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm going to go out for a while. I don't know when I'll be back, so don't wait for me."  
  
"Um, all right..." She went to the closet and pulled out one of his velvet shirts, covered in gold swirly patterns. Then she stopped. "Did you have another nightmare?"  
  
He ran a hand through his matted hair and looked through her with hollow eyes. "Yes, but that's not why I'm going out."  
  
"Might I ask why?"  
  
"Let's just say, I'm haunted by my actions." He shrugged calmly and started toward the bathroom with the intent to take a scalding shower. He stopped in the doorway and turned slowly toward the human child. "You know what...?"  
  
"What, Bernard?"  
  
He grabbed the key from bedside table and before Sarah could even register what was happening, took the Enforcer from around her wrist. "There. You're free. Go...Go be with your boyfriend in Packaging. I hope you have a wonderful life together."  
  
He then started off again, leaving her there with her mouth open in total disbelief. She blinked a couple times and ran after him, waving her arms wildly. "Wait! I don't want to go!"  
  
"What?" He looked at her as though she were diseased.  
  
"I said I don't want to go. I like working for you!"  
  
This was news. "Why?"  
  
"You never treated me badly. Unlike...Oh, say Maigri, who goes through a new slave a week, practically. I thank you for that. But I've known nothing but this job for the past three hundred years. So please, let me stay."  
  
He stared at a landscape painting (of his "homeland", somewhere in Canada) on the wall for a so long, she started to wonder if he'd heard her. Finally he turned back to her. "You can stay, but I'll pay you for your work. And you can see André any time you want."  
  
"Oh, thank you, Bernard! Thank you soooooo much!" She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a huge bear hug.  
  
He winced uncomfortably and patted her on the back. "You're welcome, Sarah. You're welcome."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I shouldn't have provoked him." April sipped her cocoa and looked timidly at Carole. "He just made me so angry! He wouldn't let Sarah see her boyfriend, just because she's human and he's elf. I mean, Bernard is prejudiced!"  
  
"Really? I didn't think he was like that."  
  
"I didn't think he would hit me. I...It was almost like we were flirting, instead of fighting. But not this time." Tears threatened to spill over her eyes. "I...I liked him. I didn't mean to make him so mad, honestly I didn't!"  
  
Carole lightly touched the girl's arm. "Shh, it's okay. Everything will work out, just give it time."  
  
"Will it? I don't think it will! It's been three days and I feel exactly the same!" April finally broke down in great sobs. "I'll never be able to look him in the eye again!"  
  
"Oh, no...April don't do this to yourself! It's not your fault." Carole pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. "Don't blame yourself."  
  
"But it IS my fault! It's all my fault!" She clung to the older woman as though she were her own mother. "If only I hadn't insulted him like that... Oh, Lord, why did I hafta be so stupid?"  
  
"Oh, honey, you are not stupid. Listen to me, you stood up for what you believed in, and for that you are one of the strongest, bravest people I have ever met."  
  
"Really?" She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "I don't feel strong."  
  
"Of course you don't now. But I'm sure in a month you'll have your job, and your apartment, and you'll never need to see Bernard again."  
  
She blew her nose and grimaced. "But...I...I sorta want to see him again...Am I like those women who keep going back to their boyfriends, even though they abuse them?"  
  
This threw Carole off completely. She blinked and stuttered, searching desperately for the right words to answer that sensitive question. "Well, no-"  
  
There came a knock at the door. She apologized and got up to answer it. "Oh, Bernard. Hello."  
  
He looked near hysterical, like he hadn't slept in days. He stared at Mrs. Claus with wide, bloodshot eyes, and she noticed he was shaking severely. He looked as though he would snap any moment. "Yeah, hi. May I speak to A-April?"  
  
She placed her self defensively between the two. "Why, might I ask?"  
  
"I, Ur... well..." He fidgeted with the edge of his shirt and looked wearily in April's direction. "I found her an apartment, and I want to show it to her."  
  
"I really don't think I should leave you two alone together."  
  
He leaned on the frame of the doorway weakly, all too aware of what that incident had done to his reputation. He'd heard the elves whispering about it everywhere he went. He seemed to deflate a little, the edginess easing out of his tired voice. "Come on. I won't hit her, if that's what you're thinking. I know if it ever happens again, I'll loose my job."  
  
Carole studied his face a long time before permitting him to take April away. "Fine. That is, if it's okay with April."  
  
April got up without another word and followed him out the door, that vacant look once again crossing her face.  
  
"Be careful." Mrs. Claus watched them until they were out of sight around the corner. She shut the door. "Take care of yourself, April."  
  
In the elevator, she turned away from him. He wanted so dearly to apologize and put his arms around her, but he knew better. She was still too fragile. Holiday, he was still too fragile too, only having had four hours of fitful sleep since the incident happened. The ghost had been right; he couldn't sleep until he had her forgiveness. As the elevator settled, the room spun dangerously and he gripped the railing to keep from toppling over.  
  
They walked into the street, ignoring the constant stares and whispers. April hovered nervously near him, afraid to get closer yet needing to escape the watchful eyes all around them. He took a hold of her arm gently, feeling that same desire to protect her. She yanked it away forcefully.   
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Dizziness swept over him again, causing him to sway slightly on his feet. "Uh, we're almost there, it's...Um, down this street. I think." Funny, he suddenly didn't know where he was anymore. And he knew Elfsburg better than most. Good thing he'd written down the directions. He pulled them out of his bag and squinted at them, but the writing looked really fuzzy.  
  
She looked at him with concern, but said nothing.  
  
"This way." He waved finally. They came to a squat; humble building marked 'Elfsburg Suites'. He took out a key and opened door number three for her.  
  
She gasped at the sight. The walls were sky blue, the trimmings silver and soft purple, from the velvety furniture down to the candle holders and the tassels on the curtains. A fire burned in the fireplace in the corner and a silver tabby kitten slept blissfully on the couch. Her resentment evaporated. "Oh, Bernard, it's all so beautiful!"  
  
He smiled. It felt so good to see her happy again. But then again, had he really ever seen her happy?  
  
He chuckled as she ran to the kitchen and examined one of the crystal glasses. "Do you like it?"  
  
She hastily stuck it away in its proper place and ran back to him. "I love it! You didn't hafta do this for me!"  
  
"Well, actually I did. I just didn't need to go so elaborate." He leaned on the coffee table as non-chalantly as he could, given the fact that he felt like he would keel over any minute.  
  
Her happiness stepped aside for nervousness. "Are you okay? You've been acting really funny."  
  
"I..." He took a deep breath and blurted without thinking. "APRIL, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I didn't mean to hurt you, you must believe me. Is there anything, ANYTHING I can do to make this up to you?"  
  
She looked into his distressed eyes and simply knew he was being deadly honest with her. Literally. "No. There isn't."  
  
He groaned and collapsed into a chair, at the end of his limit. He buried his face in his hands. "I knew it. I blew it."  
  
She pulled up another chair and sat in front of him. She gently pried his hands away so she could look directly at him. "There isn't, because I've already forgiven you. And not because of this, either."  
  
He blinked. It couldn't have been that easy. It just couldn't. "Seriously?"  
  
She nodded. "But the question is, can you forgive me?"  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Oh, let's see, I was a righteous know-it-all and an overall brat. I insulted you when it was totally uncalled for."  
  
He shook his head forcefully. "No, you didn't know I would react like that. I didn't even know I would react like that. It's just..." He licked his parched lips. "I'm going to tell you something I haven't told anyone here, okay?"  
  
"Sure. I won't tell."  
  
He picked imaginary fuzz off of the velvet chair, and avoided her gaze. "I am a bastard, in the literal sense of the word. My mother had an affair with a...foreigner...which resulted in my existence. My father, that is her husband, treated me like an intruder in household, just because of that single fact. Even though I couldn't do anything about it."  
  
She sat back, stunned. "I had no idea. Oh, now I feel really bad! That's awful!"  
  
"But you had no idea that word made me so sensitive. Nobody knows. I don't talk about my past for many reasons."  
  
She could sense more bothered him than he willingly told her, but she didn't press the subject. "Well, I'm really sorry. I truly am, Bernard."  
  
"Don't worry about it." He stood up and fell back into the seat, suddenly too weak to get up. "Oh, boy. This is not good."  
  
She stared accusingly at him for thirty seconds before asking, "When was the last time you ate something?"  
  
He thought for a moment, but drew a blank. "You know, I don't remember. Couple days ago, I guess."  
  
She smacked her forehead and jumped up. "BERNARD! You can't do that! Ya gotta eat!" He tried to stand up again, but she shoved him back into the chair. "Stay there! I'm going to make you some cookies and hot chocolate!"  
  
She rummaged through the cabinets (which were completely stocked) and mumbled to herself about Bernard's stupidity for not eating. After several minutes when the smell of baking cookies floated to him, she returned with a large mug of steaming cocoa.  
  
He accepted it gratefully. "Thanks."  
  
She still looked cross. "You should take better care of yourself. Half my family members are diabetics, so I know a thing or two about low blood sugar. You could have really hurt yourself. And for that matter, when was the last time you've had a decent night's sleep?"  
  
He took a deep gulp of cocoa, and it warmed him all the way down to his toes. "Not since before...You know..."  
  
"Oh." She twitched. "Can we pretend that that never happened?"  
  
"No, but we can vow never to let that happen again." He smiled half-heartedly, still ashamed.  
  
She held out her hand. "Friends, then?"  
  
"Friends." He gave her a firm handshake. And so they decided to start anew with each other. Just like that. He took another, rather loud sip of cocoa during the uneasy silence that followed. "Say, this is really good. Was it instant?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
He stared thoughtfully into his mug. "I think know where I can probably find you a job."  
  
She pointed angrily at him, eyes flashing with concern. "You're not going anywhere until you've eaten and taken a nap!" She poked his knee to emphasize her point.  
  
*Boink* "Okay...Don't get so aggressive with me! I give, I give!" He held up his hands in mock surrender. She grabbed a magazine from the newspaper rack, rolled it up, and used it to smack him playfully on the shoulder.  
  
Who would have thought that a little over three days ago, she had been his slave? The idea seemed a bit silly now. And yet, the "incident" would never truly leave them completely. Good thing, too, otherwise it might happen again. You know what they say about history...  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Corny ending, huh? The boink is my personal reaction to being poked, just so you know. I just wanna say that, yes; April did forgive him really easily. He had worried himself to the point of collapse! Boy, his conscience is REALLY violent! Oh, well, at least all is good again...OR IS IT? *Cue evil cackling here.* 


	6. Dropping In

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Disclaimer: Reference Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. I'm sorry, but I'm lazy!  
  
A/N: I dun't wanna beg, but please guys, REVIEW! Please?  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 6: Dropping In  
  
"Hello, stranger. May I take your order?"  
  
Curtis licked his lips hungrily, having stared droolingly at the new desert options for the past five minutes. He tore his eyes away from the Cocoa Café's revised menu at the sound of the voice, snapping out of his cookie reverie. His mouth fell open. "April? What are YOU doing here?"  
  
She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and poised it over her pad of paper. Then she made a face and gestured with it. "I'm painting the pink flamingos purple, Curtis. What's it look like I'm doing? I'm W-O-R-K-I-N-G."  
  
"Wow, that's great! Bernard found you a job already?"  
  
"Already?" She waved dismissively. "Pssh, I've been here a week! Where've YOU been?"  
  
"Putting in extra hours at the Workshop, trying to convince Santa I make a better Number Two than my no-good brother. We're gearing up for the long haul again."  
  
"Is it that time of year? So soon? It's only, what... The beginning of November?"  
  
Curtis put down his menu and shook his head. "The Christmas Season always starts for us the day after Halloween, don't you know that?"  
  
"Guess not." She poked him in the shoulder with her pencil. "Now what do you want? I don't get paid to chat with customers."  
  
Judy smiled with pride at her disciple from behind the counter.  
  
"Okay, okay..." He picked up the menu again. "How about...No...Macadamia? Almond? Oh, I just can't decide. All of them look simply delicious!"  
  
April grinned playfully. "You know, there's a batch of White Chocolate Chunk in the oven with your name all over it."  
  
His eyes lit up like Christmas lights on the day after Thanksgiving. "Yes, please!"  
  
"'Kay!" She scampered enthusiastically off to the kitchen.  
  
He leaned in that direction, cupped his hand around his mouth and called, "And gimme some regular milk in a frosted glass!"  
  
"On it!"  
  
He turned to the beaming Judy. "It sure is nice of you to let her work here. I know Maigri's posse is personally boycotting."  
  
Judy joined Curtis at the table, since things were slow at the moment. She whispered, as though it were a big secret, "At first I was a bit hesitant, but she's actually more of a help than a hindrance. I don't know many people who are as passionate about their job as she is. I practically have nothing to do anymore!"  
  
"Still, you could have said no."  
  
She shrugged. "When have I ever turned down extra help? Especially help as eager as her. You would think she had the position of Head Elf instead of Waitress Number One. All of us should strive to have her attitude!"  
  
"Yeah, really."  
  
April scooted back out with a plate full of fluffy cookies and a tall glass frosted milk. "'Ere ya are, sir. Sorry for the delay. I stopped to start the dishes a soakin'."  
  
"Oh, April, you didn't need to do that..." Judy unrolled Curtis's napkin and stuck it in her lap. She reached for a cookie, but received a glare from Curtis.  
  
"I know I didn't need to..." She smiled and happily hugged the tray she had had cookies on. It was still warm. "I wanted to."  
  
Judy sighed, albeit with satisfaction.  
  
* * * *  
  
Heavenly, almost deafening organ music interrupted the relative quiet of the apartment, causing April to jump and almost pour tea down the front of her shirt. She slammed the teacup back onto the coffee table in annoyance. Stupid doorbell. "Blast! I'm coming, I'm coming!"  
  
She opened the door to an uncomfortable Bernard. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi." He pepped, unable to prevent a smile from making a brief appearance on his face.  
  
Silence and an extremely long pause followed. She turned the door knob a couple of times. "Would you like to come in?"  
  
"Sure." He waltzed in and looked around, inhaling the lavender scent coming from candles above her mantle. It was a smell only found in this particular apartment in town, and only he associated specifically with her. He never liked the smell, but none the less, it was beginning to grow on him.  
  
"Wanna sit down?" She gestured toward the couch. They sat at opposite ends, (as far away from each other as possible) with the kitten between them. They fidgeted nervously for a couple of moments, neither one looking at the other. Finally, she turned to him and asked loudly, "So...What do you want?"  
  
He turned to her, yet still didn't look her in the eye. His gaze rested on the unusual elephant-headed lamp staring at him in a creepy way, distracting him. He shook his head (making his dark curls bounce slightly) and said slowly, "I'm not sure."  
  
She lightly smacked his arm. "What do you mean, you're not sure? There's gotta be a reason, there's a reason for everything. Now cough it up, Bernard!"  
  
"I...Uh...How are you?" He winced. Boy that sounded so lame. He looked at her pathetically.  
  
Oh, they were going THERE again. She dug some imaginary dirt from under her semi-short fingernails. "G-good, I guess. And you? Taking better care of yourself, I hope?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks."  
  
The grandfather clock's ticking grew noticeably louder.  
  
"So, how's Sarah?"  
  
"Good, good....I, um...I freed her a while ago."  
  
April's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"  
  
He held up his hands defensively. "It's not like that...I had a crazy dream and when I woke up, I realized just how stupid slavery is." Understatement of the year, right there, folks! He smiled. "Now I'm paying her for her services, and she sees André every Thursday."  
  
She smiled too, but it faded as she spoke. "That's great! Too bad you couldn't have had that dream BEFORE our little fight."  
  
"April, I'm-"  
  
"DON'T, Bernard." She threw him a weary side glance. "It's behind us now."  
  
They looked away again. Bernard turned his attention to the fluff ball between them. He scratched the kitten under the chin and spoke to him with a talking-to-babies voice. "And how's Tinsel today? Huh? Doing well, I hope."  
  
Tinsel mewed at him contentedly.  
  
April suddenly blurted, "This place is so empty, I hate it!"  
  
He reeled from the outburst. "What do you mean? It's full of-"  
  
"Oh, it's full of CRAP, all right! I have all the pretty candles and books I could ever want." She waved violently to the bookshelves full of untouched volumes of classics like 'A Christmas Carol' and the entire 'Wizard of Oz' collection.  
  
He raised his eyebrows questioningly.  
  
"I miss being with you, Bernard." She took a deep breath and added shortly, "And with Sarah. You guys were like my..." She trailed off, realizing with dread exactly where this conversation was heading.  
  
"Family?"  
  
She choked back the rising tears. Why, oh why must she be so dad-gummed emotional? "I miss my family so much! Without you two around to keep me company all I can think about is the fact that I'll never see my parents or my little brother alive again! It's eating me up inside, making me absolutely sick." She took a couple of deep breaths and narrowly avoided having a panic attack. She looked to Bernard, hoping he would do something to make her feel better, but he just stared back, unsure of what to do. Women were still a complete enigma to him.  
  
Slowly, almost painfully, he stood up. "Um, I think I ought to go. I just know that whatever I say right now will make you feel worse, so..."  
  
She showed him to the door. "Take care."  
  
He shook his head and stopped, knowing he was totally pressing his luck. "This is completely random, but do you want to see a movie with me later?"  
  
She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.  
  
"Just as friends, of course."  
  
"Oh, of course." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smiled the best she could. "Sure. Just let me know when."  
  
"Okay, it's a date." Without thinking, he impulsively leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. They stared at each other wide eyes in stunned silence.  
  
After a few tense seconds, she completely broke down. "Ooooh, screw you and your damned mixed signals!" And slammed the door in his face.  
  
He leaned against the closed door, defeated. "Smooth move, Casanova. Just as friends, huh? What the HOLLY BERRIES was that?" He kicked the snow off the top step angrily, wanting very badly to kick himself.  
  
*Flash* A swirling vortex of light opened up and regurgitated two teenaged girls. It was so completely unexpected that he barely had time to process the phenomenon before it died away. The girls lay face down in the snow in front of him. One was a short elf with curly dark hair; the other tall with a blood red braid that streamed down past her butt.  
  
The shorter girl picked herself up first. "Boy that was a rough trip."  
  
"And WHO said time travel would be a breeze?" The other girl leapt up with effortless ease, and quickly dusted herself off. It was then that Bernard noticed how different she seemed from what he would consider 'the norm'. She had a long, pointed nose and somewhat floppy multiply-pierced ears. And she was dressed like a gypsy.  
  
The elvin girl swatted the snow out of her jet black locks and made a face. "Well, he made it look easy!"  
  
Her companion rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Hello? Father Time? That's his JOB; of course he's going to make it LOOK easy."  
  
"Uh, excuse me, but..." Bernard chuckled and leapt off the steps, with an air of fake amusement. "WHO ARE YOU?!?"  
  
The two girls turned to him and smiled equally fakely. The shorter girl smacked her forehead. "Oh, forgive us. I'm Destiny, and this is Merope."  
  
Merope waved.  
  
"That's nice." No one could mistake his sarcasm, yet they ignored it. "Let me ask you again. WHO ARE YOU?"  
  
They exchanged a knowing glance. Destiny fished around under her cloak, and produced a shiny badge. She blew on it before handing it to him and recited as though she'd had it memorized her entire life, "I am the Regent, sent back in time thirty-three years to prepare you and all those here at the North Pole for total, unavoidable war."  
  
He tore his eyes from the badge and gave her a "You've got to be kidding me" look. "Excuse me. WAR?"  
  
"What part of war don't you understand?" Merope snapped. Anyone else (except maybe Maigri and Curtis) would have jumped back in fear.  
  
He looked at the badge again, turned it over. Yeah, it was the real thing all right. Frustrated and confused, he handed it back to her. "There hasn't been a Regent in over a thousand years."  
  
She beamed with obvious pride. "Yes, I know."  
  
Bernard looked back and forth between the girls. Finally, he pointed to Merope. "So, if you're the Regent, who's this?"  
  
Merope examined her claw-like, black and orange striped fingernails.  
  
"This is my best friend slash bodyguard."  
  
"Okaaay. I guess I need to call an emergency board meeting." He rubbed his forehead and stormed off toward the Workshop, mumbling about Regents and unavoidable wars.  
  
Merope stared after him. "Pleasant, isn't he?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Santa leaned forward. "So explain to me this Regent thing again. I'm just not getting it."  
  
All eyes turned to the dark haired girl in the back of the room, who seemed remarkably calm. She smiled that dazzling smile and began to speak, when Bernard cut her off. He halted his incessant pacing of the room for a brief moment. "If something should happen to you for any reason, she would...*unpleasant gulp* Take over."  
  
"Well, what about you, Bernard?"  
  
His unhappiness came through loud and clear. "All the Council Members gave their approval...Even Miss I'm-Too-Good-Woman-In-The-Moon, but she shouldn't count since she went off on her own..."  
  
Merope frowned deeply. "Hey, don't talk crap about Diana; she's the best female warrior of all TIME!"  
  
"Plus," Curtis said with a mischievous smirk, "She's drop dead hot!"  
  
This earned a reprimanding glare from everyone in the conference room.  
  
"...Well, she is..."  
  
"CURTIS, BE QUIET!" Everybody barked simultaneously.   
  
He shut up.  
  
Bernard took a deep breath. "Anyway, they gave her authority over me. But not over you."  
  
"How old are you, anyway?" Maigri asked with a raised eyebrow. He rested his elbows on the polished marble table, clearly bored out of his wits.  
  
Destiny swiveled all the way around in her chair before answering. "Twenty-eight." (A/N: She looks fourteen.)  
  
"Great! We're dealing with a mere child here!" He threw his hands in the air and leaned back in his chair. "How can you be that young? You're an elf, aren't you?"  
  
"Half elf, actually." She didn't even blink an eye. However, Bernard choked on his cocoa, causing quite a few worried looks. Charlie patted him on the back and he coughed loudly.  
  
Maigri scrunched up his nose. "Ugh, that is SO not right!"  
  
"Maigri," Santa said, staring impatiently at his feather pen, "If all you have to bring to this table is your prejudice, I suggest you leave."  
  
He crossed his arms and pouted. "Sorry, sir."  
  
"I'm sure you are." He nodded at Destiny, and told her sarcastically, "Oh, he's real sorry."  
  
She made a face in Maigri's direction. "He's so much nicer in my time. I don't understand it."  
  
"Destiny!" Merope, who stood over her, bopped her on the head. "You're not supposed to give away information like that. Think, girl! Any little thing you slip might make you cease to exist or something!"  
  
"Sor-ry! Sheesh!" She rubbed the back of her head.  
  
Santa suddenly became all business. "So, Miss Regent, what needs to be done to prepare for this war?"  
  
"Let's see..." She counted off on her fingers. "We need to train an army of elves, build spaceships (please don't ask), and of course Merope and I need a place to stay. That's all we should concern ourselves with for right now."  
  
That's all. Really, no big deal.  
  
Bernard stepped up in the following awkward pause, as usual. "Well, Charlie, you can get working on those spaceships, right?"  
  
The young man blinked. "I guess, but I'll need help with the more technical issues."  
  
"Curtis can help you."  
  
"That's what I'm here for!" Curtis rubbed his hands together excitedly. He'd always wanted to build a spaceship!   
  
"As for a place to stay...I think I might be able to convince April to let you stay with her. That is, if she'll talk to me." He ignored the looks the elves gave each other.  
  
"Great! So that's it for now."  
  
Santa stood up. "Well, then. Meeting adjourned."  
  
* * * *  
  
April once again opened the door to a nervous looking Bernard. "What do you want this time?"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, it just happened. Okay?"  
  
She threw her arms into the air like she wanted to strangle him. "NO, not okay! Bernard, I'm confused. Are we more than, less than, or just friends?"  
  
"I'm not sure." He glanced over his shoulder. "But that's not why I'm here. This is a business trip."  
  
She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?"  
  
"We have some unexpected visitors that need a place to stay. Could you take them in?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "How many visitors?"  
  
"Two. They're female, in case you're wondering."  
  
She snapped her fingers. "Darn."  
  
He stared questioningly at her.  
  
"Kidding! Just kidding! Go ahead, send them over. But if they treat me like crap, I WILL complain. Got that?"  
  
He smiled. "Sure. Come on in, girls!"  
  
They hopped in eagerly and waved. "Hi, I'm Destiny..."  
  
"And I'm Merope..."  
  
"And I'm leaving...Talk to you later, April. We're still on for that movie later, right?"  
  
She sighed. "I don't know, Bernard. I just don't know."  
  
He left without another word.  
  
She shook her head and turned to her new guests. "So, I'm April. I guess we'll be living together for a while. Why don't you tell me a little about yourselves, and then I'll tell you about myself?"  
  
They winced. "Our history is classified, I'm afraid."  
  
"And we already know ALL about yours."  
  
She threw them a suspicious glance. "What did Bernard tell you?"  
  
"Nothing! Honest!"  
  
"Sure. Well, isn't there anything you can tell me more than just your names?"  
  
"Got a while?"  
  
She shoved her hands into her pockets. "I have tonight off, so I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Destiny suddenly had an idea, and jumped around excitedly. "Oh oh oh! I got it! We can have a slumber party! You know, build a cozy fire, make a tent out of blankets and chairs..."  
  
Merope chimed in, "Yeah, and toast s'mores and tell ghost stories! We haven't done that in ages!"  
  
April smiled. It would definitely be good to have someone around the apartment, especially a couple girls close to her own age. Oh, she now had gossip buddies! She already knew that this would be a good thing. She could just tell. Bernard would not regret this. She would probably even go with him to that movie now. Then she could tell her new friends all about it...But would that make it a date? Oh well! "I'll grab some marshmallows and gram crackers. And chocolate, can't forget the chocolate bars..."  
  
* * * *  
  
In another dimension, in the middle of an elaborate labyrinth, an impossibly tall gothic style castle loomed ominously. Clouds around the top of the castle erupted into blasts of lightning, casting frightening shadows over its already fearful gargoyles.  
  
In the main chamber, robed figure sat on his throne in the darkness, gazing into a crystal ball. He watched the girls running around in their pajamas, throwing marshmallows and pillows at each other, having the time of their lives. He cackled evilly, the sound bouncing off the chamber's high walls. "Laugh while you can, girls. Laugh while you can. For there will be nothing but misery when I'm through with you." 


	7. Destiny's Secret

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Santa Clause movies. Period. *Smiles* I guess I need to remind you that I own April, Maigri, Sarah, Destiny, and Merope, but I probably won't tell you again for a while. Probably.  
  
A/N: Hey, guys, do ya want SC to have a category all it's own? Then just write to ff.net's new category adress and DEMAND IT! And I hate to do this, but I won't post any more until I get more than three reviews for this chapter! Please, I'm sorry, but my self-esteem is really low right now, and your comments are seriously the only thing keeping me going. I don't care if you chew me out anymore! (Okee, that's a lie, but if that's what you want...) Be honest here! I just want your comments...Is that so much to ask? *Big sad puppy eyes*   
  
Anyway, enjoy!  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 7: Destiny's Secret  
  
The mysterious girl known as Destiny slipped along the darkened hallways of the Workshop at about two in the morning, thankful that the whole town "slept" for a couple hours every night (EVEN during the rush season, for health reasons). She looked nervously around before stepping into an empty room and pulling out what looked like a palm pilot. She drew a shaky breath and called someone thirty-three years in the future.  
  
"Hello?" The fog of sleep lifted from her father's care-worn eyes, leaving him alarmed. "M-Destiny, are you okay? Is everything-?"  
  
"I'm sorry to wake you, Daddy. But I just wanted to let you know that everything is running smoothly." She smiled proudly.  
  
"Oh." He crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow, suddenly wishing he was back in bed. "Is that all?"  
  
"Well, yes-"  
  
"Don't you know this line is only for EMERGENCIES? So if there's no emergency, you shouldn't be using it."  
  
She flinched. "I'm sorry, but I...I miss you, and Mom. Tell her hi for me."  
  
He shook his head and ran a hand through his incredibly messy jet black hair. His voice softened, as did his expression. "We miss you too, dear, but you must understand...If someone overhears this conversation, word could get back to my past self...It could cause a chain reaction that might erase your existence from the very fabric of space."  
  
"I know, and I'm sorry." She bit her lip, fighting hard to keep the home-sickness from overwhelming her.  
  
Her father smiled sadly. "I love you, honey. I know you'll make me proud." He broke the link.  
  
She put the device away, then brushed off the single tear that ran down her glittering cheek. "I hope so, Daddy."  
  
Quietly, stealthily, she exited the room. Any hopes of encouragement from her father withered like so many roses, leaving her more unsure of herself than before the conversation. She truly was on her own. She stopped by a non-stain glass window, and looked out over the sleeping city. Why was this so hard? She'd trained her entire life for this; it should have been a piece of cake.  
  
A tap on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. She gasped and covered her heart with her hand. "Merope, don't do that!"  
  
Her friend stared her down, more concerned than angry (though it didn't appear that way). "You should be in bed. You're going to eventually make yourself sick."  
  
She turned back to the window. "I can't sleep. I'm too worried."  
  
"Worried? Why?"  
  
"I...Oh, I don't know." She massaged her gloved hands distractedly. "W-what if I mess this up? I could screw up the future!"  
  
"You sound like your father. Don't worry about it. Remember what Father Time said: 'Both the past and the future are set in stone; only the present stays in a constant state of change.'"  
  
"Whatever that means," Destiny mumbled. She hesitated then said, "I called Dad."  
  
Merope waited for her to finish, but she didn't. The taller girl's eyebrows furrowed. "When?"  
  
"Just now. He got mad at me and hung up."  
  
Merope rubbed her forehead, exasperated with her emotional friend. "You shouldn't be casually calling home like that, Destiny. What if someone heard you? What if HE finds out who you are? You could vanish from history!"  
  
Neither of them knew it, but at that moment Curtis had been on a late night, top secret assignment. He was about to round the corner when he heard them whispering. When Merope said this, he stopped to listen.  
  
"Now who sounds like my father? I thought you just said the past is set in stone."  
  
Merope growled. "But this isn't the past, it's the present. You could still mess up the present, and we would only know when we tried to go back. I think."  
  
"I really hate all these time travel rules."  
  
"But the point is, if Bernard finds out your his ya-know, it might frighten him away from your mother, and they're last date didn't exactly go very well as it is. Then it would be POOF! And I would hafta be the Regent, and you know how well that would blow over."  
  
Curtis lifted his eyebrows in surprise and mouthed to himself, "Bernard's dating someone?"  
  
"I think you would make a great Regent." Destiny frowned. "At least better than me."  
  
"Don't say that. I would fly off the handle with all my decisions, and probably do more harm than good. You're way more cautious...Almost too cautious, but I can't blame you. You have a lot to live up to." Merope clasped Destiny's shoulder and gave her a friendly shake. "Hey, everything will work out. You'll see."  
  
"Sure, I guess." Destiny smiled weakly.  
  
"That's the spirit! Now let's get back before April wakes up to go the bathroom and notices that the guest rooms are empty."  
  
They walked away without another word, leaving a perplexed Curtis to digest what he'd just heard. "I ought to tell Bernard about this. It seems that Destiny hasn't been completely honest with us."  
  
* * * *  
  
"Ready to begin, everyone?" Destiny bounced into the area normally used for tinsel football the next morning, carrying a small boom box. She smiled sweetly enough to give the Tooth Fairy cavities.  
  
The gathered elves groaned and grumbled a weak reply. Morning people they were not.  
  
She took off her cloak and clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Now I know none of you wanted to be drafted into this, but you really should be proud to participate in one of the biggest events since the event that gave our holiday its name...Well, almost that big...But you'll be a part of history! Isn't that exciting?"  
  
The young half-elfin girl's smile faded as she took on an air of deadly seriousness. "Every single one of you will be the soldiers in the upcoming war, known in my time as the 'Great Holiday Crisis'. This war won't just involve the North Pole, but all of...Holiday-dom, if you will...It will be so terrible that all of you will be out of a job for YEARS! In fact, you're still technically unemployed in my time, over thirty years in the future. But I can't disclose any more information, since it's classified."  
  
They stared at her like she was insane. About the only ones to take her the least bit seriously were Bernard and Curtis, standing off to the side. They didn't need to participate, but showed up out of mere curiosity. They exchanged slightly concerned glances.   
  
Curtis tilted his head in Bernard's direction and whispered, "I need to talk to you during our next break. It's about her." He jerked his head toward Destiny, who once again put on that fake smile. Bernard stared at him questioningly, but nodded and said nothing.  
  
"So to begin your training, Merope and I are going to teach you the ancient art of dance." She tapped the CD player on the chair beside her.  
  
"Dance?" Someone asked, making a face. "What does dancing hafta do with combat?"  
  
She counted off with her fingers, "It teaches coordination...Teamwork...Good tactics...And it gets all of you into better shape. Do I need any more reasons?"  
  
"No, ma'am." He pouted.  
  
"Good!"  
  
Bernard personally thanked the Powers That Be for sparing him the pain and humiliation of being forced to dance in front of his peers. He turned to his little buddy. "Come on, Curtis, let's get to work." They turned their backs on the scene.  
  
"God, I'm thankful it's not me out there."  
  
"Me, too. Can you imagine me trying to dance?"  
  
Both of them pictured Bernard shaking his groove thing rather badly, and shuttered. Curtis laughed curtly. "HA! Man, I would PAY to see you do that!"  
  
"Fat chance, Number Three. Fat. Chance."  
  
"Have you ever seen Maigri dance? Now that's scary!"  
  
"He can dance?"  
  
Curtis' grin widened. "Oh, yeah... He RIVER DANCES! Oh. My. GOSH! It's sooo funny..." He did a poor little imitation and stopped when his glasses threatened to fall off. "But what's really scary is that he's actually pretty good at it."  
  
"I can imagine." He winced in disgust. "But I really don't want to."  
  
* * * *  
  
Two hours later, the two elves slipped into the empty conference room.  
  
Bernard flopped into a swivel chair and peeled the wrapper off of an energy bar. "So what did you want to tell me about Destiny?"  
  
"Well, I accidentally overheard her talking to her bodyguard..."  
  
He took a large bite of his snack and said with his mouth full, "You mean you were spying on them."  
  
"No!" Curtis looked genuinely hurt. "It really was an accident. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. That's all."  
  
Bernard lifted an eyebrow and kept chewing.  
  
"Anyway...I wanted to ask you...Are you dating someone?"  
  
*Choke* He swallowed hard and coughed a couple of times. "What in the name of holiday would give you an idea like that, Curtis?"  
  
Curtis rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, as I listened to their conversation Merope said that you were dating Destiny's mother. And I wasn't even aware that you had any romantic interests with-"  
  
"I don't." No one could mistake the cold finality in his voice.  
  
"Then what WERE they talking about?"  
  
Bernard sighed. "April and I..."  
  
"Oh, April, I see..." Bernard gave him an icy stare, and he waved it off. "No, sorry, please continue."  
  
"We spend more time with each other now, but we're not dating. We're just friends. I think..."  
  
"You think?" It was Curtis' turn to lift an eyebrow.  
  
"Well...I get this weird feeling when I'm around her, like part of me wants to be more than just friends, but part of me wants to walk away and never see her again. I know how she feels about me, but that doesn't exactly make me happy."  
  
Curtis sat in the chair opposite of him, suddenly feeling like a psychologist. "How does that make you feel?"  
  
He squirmed, obviously not used to talking or really even thinking about his feelings. "Nervous. Just nervous. What if...I mean what if we start to get close and it doesn't work out? Or...Even worse...What if I do, ur, fall in love with her?"  
  
"What would be so wrong with that?"  
  
He practically shouted the answer. "She's human!"  
  
The other elf took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, fed up with all the anti-human energy running rampant through Elfsburg. "Let me ask you again...What's so wrong with that?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess that's just a cop-out answer." Bernard tapped distractedly on the table and stared at his energy bar for a long time, suddenly lacking an appetite. Finally he looked at him and whispered, "I'm afraid, Curtis."  
  
Curtis' mouth fell open. "You? Afraid of something? Impossible!"  
  
"This is new territory. I've never been in love before! Never! Well, I thought I was once, but that turned out to be just a crush...And...I was...Young. Naive. But now...What if this is just some weird crush or a fling or something? I don't want to hurt her." He drew a shaking breath. "I don't want to get burned, either."  
  
His friend cleaned his glasses with the corner of his shirt and held them up to the light. Satisfied in removing the imaginary dirt, he replaced them. "You know what you could do to find out for sure, don't you?"  
  
"No!" Bernard pounded his fist angrily on the table. "I will NOT kiss her, okay? I don't want to PAIR BOND with her, for cryin' out loud!"  
  
Curtis held up his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is if you want to stop torturing yourself about this, you'll do it and just get it over with. Either way, I think you'd be a lot happier. Now..." He stood up. "It's time we got back to work."  
  
* * * *  
  
The big day finally arrived for Charlie, who rode Comet (a much smoother ride than Chet) back to the States for the wedding. Scott wanted Charlie to have it at the Pole, because with it being so close to Christmas the poor man couldn't leave for any reason. But Danielle wanted a 'traditional wedding', so Charlie mumbled his apologies to his workers and flew home for a week.  
  
Everyone felt on edge because while Charlie had finally told Danielle about his home and she surprisingly believed him, she hadn't actually seen it. Santa addressed the whole town about what to do and what to expect. "...Don't throw the rice until after they've landed, it might spook Comet. And don't do anything to possibly frighten Danielle off." He stared pointedly in Maigri's direction.  
  
The elf put on his best innocent face. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sir."  
  
"Oh, um-hmm, sure you don't, Maigri." Santa threw a look at Bernard, who rolled his eyes. "Just remember, one more slip up and you'll suffer a fate similar to Quinton's."  
  
Maigri went pale and clammed up, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrinking back into his frilly collar, too dejected to push his luck any further. "Yes, sir."  
  
Destiny walked by and giggled. She gave him a sideways nudge. "You're always so cute when you're upset...Just like a little bull dog puppy."  
  
Then she casually sauntered off, swaying her hips.  
  
He stared after her in wide eyed, open mouthed shock. Did she just HIT ON him? No girl ever hit on Maigri before...He didn't know whether to be ecstatic or insulted. He blinked out of the dazed state and looked around nervously. Had anyone seen that? Embarrassed, he felt a blush creep across his face.   
  
Destiny called him cute.  
  
Then that stubborn, narcissistic voice in the back of his mind gave him a swift kick, whispering, 'What the heck are you thinking, here? Remember what is!' He frowned. "Half-human wench."  
  
"Look, here they come!" Someone pointed at the top of the ice cave, where a tiny dot appeared. The couple hadn't even bothered to change out of their wedding clothes before speeding home.  
  
Charlie wrapped his arms tighter around his new bride, who clung to him like he was her only lifeline. "Open your eyes, Danni, were almost here."  
  
"No!" She moaned and grasped his shirt tighter. "I think I'm going to pass out!"  
  
But then, she did open her eyes. And they stayed open until they landed. He helped her down, and she swallowed hard. A hand finally pulled off the veil from atop her wind blown hair absent-mindedly. She spun around a couple of times, looking at the buildings, the elves, the reindeer...Everything. She turned back to the grinning young man and managed to find her voice. "You told me it was amazing, but I didn't believe you."  
  
Charlie's smile took up most of his face, he was so happy. "Isn't it great?"  
  
"You were right," she said and tossed away her bouquet without another thought. "We SHOULD have performed the ceremony here!"  
  
The bundle of white roses flew through the air, almost in slow motion, and bounced off the side of April's head. She reached out and caught it before it hit the ground, then stared at it, absolutely shocked.  
  
"Whoa, girl, you know what that means!" Merope smacked her on the back, knocking the wind out of her. "You're next, baby! YOU'RE NEXT! Ha!"  
  
"I...I...No, there must be some mistake!" She held the bouquet at arm's length as if it were a poisonous snake about to strike.  
  
The elves decided that was the time to throw their rice and yell their congratulations. Destiny practically shouted over the commotion, "No mistake, April. Things like that ALWAYS happen for a reason!"  
  
She looked up and locked eyes with Bernard fifty feet away. His face seemed frozen in an expression of total fear, for in that moment, Curtis' previously overlooked words rang in his pointy ears. 'As I listened to their conversation Merope said that you were dating Destiny's mother.' He looked back and forth between April and Destiny, dread washing over him. No WONDER Destiny had looked so familiar! The smile, the shining eyes...Those were April's features, but...The dark, perfectly curly hair, the nose...Suddenly, Bernard felt VERY sick.  
  
Curtis noticed. "What's wrong, Bernard?"  
  
"I need to sit down." He did, rather swiftly.  
  
"Are you okay? Do I need to call a medic?"  
  
He shook his head, his eyes clouding over. The world around him disappeared, until just the four of them remained. "My daughter. She's MY daughter, Curtis. With...April...I mean, look at her."  
  
It finally dawned on Curtis too. He squinted at Destiny and scrunched up his nose. "Ohmigosh, you're RIGHT! She looks just like you! I don't know why I never saw it before."  
  
The shock of that realization evaporated as quickly as it hit him, leaving Bernard just plain angry. He scrambled to his feet and marched over to where April and Destiny stood laughing. He grabbed Destiny by the elbow and spun her around. "Who are you?"  
  
She flinched, alarmed at his tone. "What do you mean, Bernard?"  
  
"You know VERY well what I mean, Destiny. Why didn't you tell me you were my daughter?"  
  
Her eyes went wide. "You know? How?"  
  
April split the two apart. "What in the name of all that's good is going on here?"  
  
He talked around her. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?"  
  
"I...I hoped you wouldn't..." Destiny wrapped her arms around herself, knowing she could vanish any minute. "I had strict orders not to tell you who I was...Because it might make you not want to fall in love with Mom, and..."  
  
He flung his arms around in the air. "I DON'T LOVE APRIL, OKAY? AND I NEVER WILL!" As soon as the words flew out of his mouth, he regretted them. But, alas, he couldn't take them back.  
  
The whole town fell silent. All eyes, including those of the newly expanded Calvin family, turned to him.  
  
April's eyes filled with tears. "I knew it! I just knew this was too good to be true!" She threw down the bouquet and ran off at top speed. After an awkward pause, the rumorous whispers started anew.  
  
Destiny turned to her best friend, shaking, her eyes also filling with tears. "This is it, Merope. I'm going to disappear for sure! I blew it. I blew it! They'll never get together now!" She broke down into racking sobs.  
  
Merope wrapped her arms around the girl protectively as a parent would and glared at Bernard in total disgust. "Good going, jerk."  
  
Only then did he realize the full impact of his words.   
  
And that he hadn't meant any of it.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Review! Please? 


	8. Kiss of Fate

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 8: Kiss of Fate  
  
Disclaimer: Oh, come on, Disney. Ya know I dun't own your wonderful movies. Must I admit it in every chapter?  
  
A/N: I finally hit fifty reviews! I'm soooooo excited! Oh, this is the 'Bernard goes WAY out of character' chappie. Oy, hey, guys...Just wanted to tell you that it might be a while until the next chapter because I'm struggling with it. I don't like it all *cries*, but I can't fix it...I'm sooo frustrated! Anyway, I wanted to thank EVERYONE for their reviews...They got me through a really tough week. But my first semester of college is over so things will get better. Please continue to review! (Let's see if you can't give me seventy-five now...*wink*) And as always...  
  
ENJOY!  
  
* * * *  
  
"So what happened?" Charlie looked at his old friend with great concern.  
  
"What DIDN'T happen?" Bernard leaned on the railing overlooking the main floor of the Workshop, exhausted with the whole affair. "If you found out you had a daughter in the future with a girl you're not even seriously seeing, you might freak out too."  
  
"So are you and April officially through?"  
  
"We were never officially anything to begin with." The Head Elf sighed loudly and resisted the urge to bang his head against something.  
  
Charlie hesitated. "Have you even talked to her since then?"  
  
"No. I'm too afraid to approach her, lest I screw up again." He crossed his arms, finally looked Charlie in the eye and demanded, "Why must this be so complicated?"  
  
"Love is never easy, Bernard. That's why they call it the most dangerous game of all." He smiled like the hopeless romantic he was.  
  
"Bah, humbug. I don't believe in love."  
  
Charlie gave him a double-take. He looked at the elf like he'd lost his mind. "What do you mean, you don't believe in love? Everyone loves something."  
  
He shrugged. "Okay, I love my job."  
  
The young man rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. Love is...Love is so beautiful...Such a-a wonderful thing...Once you give into it, you'll wonder why you ever resisted."  
  
Bernard raised an eyebrow. "You really ought to pull your head out of the clouds, there Charlie, because you're hovering about three feet off the ground. I've heard of marital bliss, but you've got it bad."  
  
"I'm serious, Bernard." Suddenly, he looked gravely so. The look didn't fit him well. "You should just stop running away from it and except the fact that you love her. Before you loose her completely."  
  
Charlie started to walk off.   
  
"Hey, I am NOT in love! Especially not with HER!" He shouted after the human, who ignored him. He snorted and mumbled, defeated, "Really. I'm not." His eyes wondered to a bunch of huddled workers, whispering and throwing odd glances in his direction. He frowned. "If you take a picture, I'll autograph it for you."  
  
They giggled and scattered in all directions.  
  
He should have been used to the whispers by then...They had just died down from the big 'incident'. Did he hafta go and blow it again? At least he hadn't hit anyone this time; though he wanted to...Maigri was, of course, behind ALL the rumors...His rival's ego had at least doubled, if not tripled in size, making him down right unbearable. And in turn, making Bernard absolutely miserable. Oops, there goes his reputation...Right down the drain... Again. Still, when it came down to things, he only had himself to blame. Even though it was so easy to blame Maigri. Too easy. "Focus, Bernard, focus. Don't think about it."  
  
* * * *  
  
In that far off dimension, the robed figure still sat, watching the unfolding events in his crystal ball. Suddenly, another being joined him. This one was a youngish, yet tall elf with yellow eyes, nasty pointed teeth that stuck out even when he closed his mouth, peircings everywhere, and a fruit-punch colored mohawk. He bowed curtly and asked in a lispy British accent, "Sir...May I voice my opinion?"  
  
The man waved consent.  
  
"I think it best if we attack now, while they're all rather vulnerable." He stared at Bernard in obvious disgust. "While they're weak..."  
  
"Patience, my dark elf. Have patience." More than just a little annoyance creeped into his creepy voice. "Are the Legions ready?"  
  
"Almost. They should be ready to strike in two, three days tops."  
  
"Good. All goes according to schedule. You may leave me now."  
  
Again, the elf bowed. "As you wish, Your Highness."  
  
The figure chuckled deeply, greatly amused by the sound of his title. "Yes, I do wish. Go."  
  
* * * *  
  
While Merope polished her sword in the corner, she glanced up from time to time and couldn't help but smile sadly. April brushed Destiny's dark hair while they talked, as they normally did before turning in at night. But ever since the truth got out, their relationship had changed ever so slightly. April's actions became softer, gentler toward the girl. And Destiny had opened up emotionally, spilling her guts until she had no more guts to spill. They both had cried their eyes out that day and had since accepted the terrible fact that their time together was limited.   
  
Destiny twirled her curly locks between her fingers. "Could you do it up like you always-" She cut herself off.  
  
"Huh?" April rested her chin on the girl's shoulder.  
  
"N-nothing...It's just, I...You remind me too much of my mom. Act just like her." She bit her lip, knowing very well she shouldn't have brought it up again. "I forgot."  
  
"I am your mother, aren't I?"  
  
"Not yet...Maybe not ever now."  
  
April dropped the brush in her lap and scratched the side of her nose. "Well, you haven't disappeared yet so maybe things will still work out."  
  
Destiny turned around slowly. "Do you still love him?"  
  
She nodded, and smiled shamefully. Her eyes teared up and she finally dared to ask the question that had plagued her for days. "Are your p-parents in love?"  
  
"Madly." The other girl also became misty eyed. She blurted, "April, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ruin it for the two of you! You would have been so happy..."  
  
"I guess it just wasn't meant to be-ee..." They both broke down crying. AGAIN.  
  
Merope rolled her eyes. Those two were too much alike. Too emotional, that is. Oy, would that Destiny were more like her father...Or not. The jerk. She polished the golden sword a little more vigorously, fuming. How? How could he say that in front of everyone? The whole wide world knew he didn't really mean it, for Christmas sake! And yet, three days and no apology, the stubborn little-  
  
The obnoxious organ music blared in the room, startling all three of them out of their thoughts.  
  
"Oh, no..." Destiny whispered, turning deathly pale. "It's HIM!"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, he's too weak to show his face around here." Still, Merope put the sword aside.  
  
They both looked at April, who cleared her throat. She crept toward the front door. "W-who is it?"  
  
"It's Bernard...Um, could we talk?"  
  
Merope shoved the worried Destiny toward the door leading out into the hallway of the building and whispered, "We'll just show ourselves out. Good luck, girl. If he hurts you again, I'll kick his ya-know to kingdom come! Seriously." She kicked the air to emphasize her point.  
  
She waved them out, then ran her fingers through her hair and hoped she didn't really look as bad as she felt. She opened the door. "You can come in now."  
  
He did.   
  
Painfully, she turned to face him. "So is this the official 'I never want to see you again' talk?"  
  
He winced. "No, this is...My apology. I didn't mean to say that, surely you know I didn't. I...I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh, you meant it, all right. I know you too well by now." She flopped onto the couch, suddenly numb. "It's okay, though...We should really break it off now before we get too serious."  
  
He pulled up a chair. "I think I should make a correction. When I said that I didn't love you, I really meant that I didn't WANT to love you. Not that I don't." He made a face, realizing just how corny those words sounded.  
  
She blinked. "So...You don't NOT love me?"  
  
"That's right." He nodded. "I just don't want to love you..."  
  
"Why not? Am I really that bad?"  
  
"Not to sound cliché, but..." he licked his lips."It's not you, it's me."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever...Just, whatever, Bernard."  
  
"Please, listen to me, April. In all honesty, I'm afraid to be in love. Okay? I don't know what to do, or what to say, and can you blame me? Everything I say is wrong when I'm around you. I can't think right, I trip over my words...And then when I do say something, it hurts you." He paused and looked into her eyes. Neither said anything for a long time, so he decided to continue. "Discovering Destiny's identity frightened me, because I felt like I had no control over the situation...Like someone came along and said, 'Bernard, you have a daughter. Get used to it.' And left me standing there with no say in the matter at all. Not being in control makes me very uncomfortable, as you should know very well by now. It frustrates me. And when I reach a certain level of frustration, I tend to...Lash out, at least verbally. So I truly am sorry, April."  
  
She squirmed and looked away. "But I still don't understand why you're afraid to love me."  
  
He took a deep breath. "Do you want the truth?"  
  
"That would be nice, yes, please."  
  
He stared at his hands. "When I was a bit older than Curtis I had a crush on a girl who liked to hit on me...But that didn't work out and I lost her. She was my only friend at the time. I don't want that to happen between us. And, unfortunately, that's probably exactly what will happen."  
  
She sensed something strange in his voice. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"This is going to sound really weird, but I'm actually talking about a bio-chemical...Thing..." He pointed at the hat that covered most of his head and laughed nervously, just realizing that now it was too late to end the conversation there. So he plunged ahead. "Do you know what pair bonding is?"  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Some species of birds do it. It's where they have one mate for life and never go astray. When their partner dies, they too sometimes die of a broken heart."  
  
Bernard took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair. He exhaled loudly and grimaced. "Well, not just some species of birds pair bond...Some species of elves do too."  
  
She stared at him as though he had declared himself a reindeer.  
  
"Here's the heart of the matter, okay? If I were to KISS you, a chemical change would happen in my brain and I would either fall completely in love with you...Or loose all interest in you. Even as a friend. So I'm stuck between the metaphorical rock and hard place. If the latter happens, I don't want to hurt you. You mean too much to me now to risk that. Do you understand now, or am I just flapping my gums?" All this came out extremely fast.  
  
She knew he wasn't just making that up, as hard to believe as it was. At least he was being somewhat honest now.  
  
April ran her shaking hands through her long, strawberry-blond tresses, looking as though she would start crying again. She hung her head and took a deep, painful breath. For a moment they sat suspended in time, about to cross over into a place from which both knew they could not return.  
  
Finally, her head snapped up and she locked him with a steely gaze. She wasn't just hurt, she was ticked off. "I understand, all right. I understand that you're a big coward!"  
  
He reeled from her forcefulness. He hadn't expected that at all. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me, Bernard! I think you're a coward. So what if you loose interest in me? I'll get over it. There are lots of nice guys out there...Human guys, mind you...There's a whole community of former Maigri slaves on the east side of town...But the point is, I CAN move on. Don't worry about hurting me, because once you do you will no longer care. Right?"  
  
He blinked and stuttered, trying to recollect his now shattered thoughts.  
  
She didn't give him the chance to say a word before she continued. "I know what you're really afraid of is change. When I was your slave, I made you nervous because I refused to change and bend to your will. Destiny makes you uneasy because she IS your daughter, and you never even dreamed of having kids before. And I frighten you now because you DO love me but are just too weak to admit it to yourself, let alone anyone else. And another thing, you won't even-"  
  
He cut her off by grabbing her face and giving her the world's shortest, angriest kiss. He stood up and held out his hands in surrender. "There, are you happy?!?"  
  
Then his eyes clouded over and he swayed slightly on his feet as though in a trance. She couldn't tell at all by his expression what the outcome of the action was, so she also stood up and gave him a funny look. "Well? Do you still like me?"  
  
He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a much gentler, much looonger kiss, then held her at arm's length. A very uncharacteristic grin broke out across his face and he laughed whole-heartedly. "What do you think? I do. I DO! I'm sorry I was...Such an unbelievable idiot. Forgive me!"  
  
She couldn't help but laugh too. "Don't worry about it!"  
  
"I'm not afraid of it anymore, April!" He planted his hands firmly on her shoulders and looked her directly in the eye, suddenly very serious again. "I. Love. You. I love you! Marry me."  
  
She was about half way through responding to the first part of the statement ("Well, Bernard, you know I love you too...") when the second part smacked her across the face. (A/N: Okay, maybe I should restate that...Oh well...) She scrunched up her nose. "Excuse me, but aren't you taking this a little bit quickly?"  
  
He shook his head. "Didn't you get what I said earlier? I have BONDED to you...I'll never leave you. Ever. And you won't be able to ever get rid of me, either. So why don't you save both of us the anguish and please just say yes."  
  
"Yes." She looked into those dark brown eyes, and vaguely recalled them being in that position before...That moment when she first realized she had fallen for him like a ton of granny's old fruit cake. Of course he had been yelling at her at the time, but still... "Yes. But our problems won't go away just like that, you know that don't you?"  
  
"I'll work at it, I promise. Oh, and before I forget..." He reached into his bag and pulled out a round vile filled with a golden, honey-like liquid. "This is for you. It's not a ring, but... At least it's gold..."  
  
She took it from him and held it up to the light. "What IS it?"  
  
"It's an elixir that will suspend your aging for a month. I, um, practice alchemy as a hobby. How else do you think Sarah could work for me for over three hundred years and never age a day? But drink it right away, because it doesn't have a very long shelf life."  
  
"Well, thank you. I will."  
  
He kissed her again, then blindly walked backwards toward the door and threw it open. "And I'll be right back."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm going to put an end to these crazy rumors that have been following us around since the day I brought you here." He grinned again and gestured violently toward the rest of the town outside her door. "The world must know how I wonderful I feel now that I've accepted the truth. That I...That we're getting MARRIED!" He actually skipped away down the street, leaving April torn between being overwhelmingly excited, and terribly disturbed. He wasn't kidding about that change in brain chemistry, was he? She kinda hoped the radical change wasn't permanent, though. Then it hit her.  
  
She was going to get married. To Bernard.  
  
She clutched the vile close to her heart and slid to the floor, her back against the door. What was she getting herself into? At least Merope's prediction had come true after all...  
  
* * * *  
  
Curtis sat in the Cocoa Café, sipping a piping mug of apple cider (elves don't just drink cocoa, ya know) and trying to relax during his fifteen minute break before getting back to the grindstone. In fact, the café was relatively packed that day, as it had been ever since Judy revised the menu to include things other than cocoa. Soft piano music filtered through the room, soothing and tranquil.  
  
The calm of the shop became sharply interrupted as Bernard burst into the room. "DRINKS FOR EVERYONE, ON ME!"  
  
About a dozen eyes stared at him in disbelief. Judy smiled. "Wow, what's the occasion?"  
  
"I'M GETTING MARRIED!"  
  
The shop became a buzz of congratulations. He went around and shook the hand of every single person in the place. He came to Curtis last, and sat down at the table across from him. "I'm glad I found you."  
  
Curtis put down his newspaper and folded his hands on the table. He told himself not to say I told you so. "I don't know what to say, Bernard. I'm...I'm really, very happy for you."  
  
"Thanks. I want you to be my Best Man."  
  
The younger elf blinked. "Me? Why?"  
  
"You're my best friend."  
  
"I am?" This was news to Curtis, but good news. He'd always looked up to Bernard as something like a role model, almost like the big brother he wished he had instead of Maigri. But he thought Bernard only saw him as a pest. "Really?"  
  
"Of course."   
  
He smiled genuinely. "I would be honored to be your Best Man, Bernard."  
  
"Great! Now, if you'll excuse me..." He stood up, ruffled Curtis' hair and called out to Judy, "Give everybody what they want and I'll pick up the tab later."  
  
She winked at him. "Gotcha! And congrats again!"  
  
* * * *  
  
Next he decided to make a trip to the Department of Research and Development, where Santa's son and team of twenty elves worked diligently on perfecting those spaceships Destiny ordered. Charlie Calvin greeted Bernard with a warm but weary smile, wiped his greasy hands on a rag, then draped the rag over his shoulder. "What's going on?"  
  
Bernard leaned on a computer console and tried to hide his grin. "Well, you were right."  
  
Charlie's brow furrowed for a moment. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, so you patched things up with April?"  
  
"Yep, now we're official. In fact..." He shook Charlie's hand and slapped him on the back. "I purposed."  
  
Charlie coughed, having had the wind knocked out of his lungs. "Really? That's great!"  
  
There was a pause, and Bernard looked at his boots. The extreme novelty of the situation began to die down just a bit. "You don't think I'm rushing things, do you?"  
  
An elf interrupted their conversation with a question, which the human answered politely. When the worker had scampered off again, he turned back to his friend as though nothing had happened. "Well, if it works for you... When it's right, it's right. You just know it. Remember that Dad dated Carole for not even a month before they got married, and they're still madly in love all these years later. So I'm sure it'll be fine. Of course, there's a lot of work involved in marriage, and you two haven't had the most stable relationship...But if you really love her, you'll make it work."  
  
Those weren't exactly the words of encouragement Bernard had been looking for, but oh well.  
  
Charlie was about to ask him what triggered his radical shift in attitude, when Destiny entered the room. She smiled nervously at Bernard, suddenly much less confident of herself. "H-hello."  
  
He threw his hands in the air and laughed joyfully. "Ah, just the person I wanted to see!"  
  
He gave her a hug. She looked like a cat in the path of headlights. "Uh, HI?"  
  
"You can exist again! Isn't that great?" He let go of her. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he shrugged. "Listen, I'm really sorry for yelling at you. That was way out of line. But I just bonded to April, (you know what I'm talking about, I assume, being my daughter and all) and now life is great! In fact, I have never felt this good in my entire life...And I'm over three thousand years old so that's saying something INDEED."  
  
"That's great, Dad...I mean, Bernard!" They chuckled at the same time in the same way, and Charlie looked at them both like they were contagious. Destiny sucked in a deep breath and turned to him, suddenly all business. "How is production headed?"  
  
Charlie cleared his throat and indicated to the giant Christmas ordainment looking object in the background, surrounded by scaffolding. "This is the last one, and it's about..." He pulled a calculation off the ceiling. "Seventy-three point eight nine percent finished? Give or take a hundredth of a point or two."  
  
"Wonderful...And when do you expect to finish it?"  
  
He grabbed a clipboard off the wall and flipped through a couple of pages before coming to a conclusion. "Next Saturday, I expect. And that's at the worst. At best by..." He squinted. "The day after tomorrow."  
  
Bernard suddenly got the feeling he shouldn't be there so started backing out of the room. "Hey, I'm gonna go now...Uh, I'll leave you two to your matters...I told April I'd come right back anyway. So bye."  
  
"Now don't get too naughty with her before the wedding, ya hear?" She called after him with a hand cupped over her mouth. His eyes went wide. That hadn't even entered his mind...Really, it hadn't! He chuckled to himself and walked away with a bounce in his step.  
  
After much searching, he found his rival lurking about in an otherwise abandoned third floor corridor. "Hey, there! How's my good buddy?"  
  
Maigri stared at him dumbfound. He looked around, thinking he must have been talking to someone else, but saw no one. "Excuse me?"  
  
"I'M GETTING MARRIED!" He shook Maigri's hand violently, and then smacked him lightly on the back. "And you're not invited!" And walked back, leaving poor Maigri standing there with his hand still outstretched. He blinked several times and an alien feeling came over him.   
  
He felt hurt.  
  
* * * *  
  
And so, they began preparations for the wedding. Some said they had bad timing, since it was so close to the biggest day of the year. But nobody knew just how bad their timing really would be.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, was that really crappy? I feel like it was...Anyway, please review and lemme know what you think. 


	9. Young Bernard's Adventure In Halloweento...

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 9: Young Bernard's Adventure in Halloweentown  
  
Disclaimer: As surprising as it sounds, I don't own the Santa Clause 1 & 2. Boy, I know that's new news to ALL of you, especially to the Disney Company. But this really is something new: I don't own Halloweentown 1 & 2. Nope, Disney also claims that honor.  
  
A/N: And so begins the cross-over portion of my fic. I have struggled with this for quite a while now and am still not satisfied with it. But it will just hafta do, I guess. I'm warning you, I switch back and forth between third and first person in this one. I normally hate it when that happens, but I assure you it's only for this chapter. I sincerely believe it's a necessary evil.   
  
To Hellcat: April is eighteen now...I think she's old enough to get married. Besides, the laws are a bit different at the North Pole. (I guess.) Remember that this is just a crazy set of dreams of mine. They don't always make perfect logical since... She's a bit reserved about it, but still loves him dearly. Dunno, does that help any? This is the first chapter without her in it. Weird.  
  
Whoo-doggie, this is my longest chapter yet! Still, I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to review!  
  
And don't expect chapter 10 for a while. I don't like the middle part, so I'm rewriting it. And of course, it's the wedding, so I'm going to make you wait. Okay, probably not...Hopefully not...  
  
* * * *  
  
The small town of Elfsburg buzzed about in total chaos. Christmas was in less than three weeks, so naturally everyone at the Workshop put in extra hours. The first few Council members began to filter in for the end of the year meeting. And on top of the usual business, Bernard decided the wedding could not wait till the beginning of next year, so he ran himself ragged scheduling a caterer and writing invitations and whatnot. Everyone had noticed the change in him. While he'd stopped being insanely happy after a few days, he still retained a certain ever-present cheerfulness. No longer did he act bitterly toward the workers. Now he greeted them warmly and openly thanked them for all their hard work.  
  
In fact, he and Curtis were doing just that on the Workshop floor when he spotted someone looking very out of place. A woman, about sixty-ish, in a dark blue robe speckled with stars and moons stood contemplating a map of the town. A giant hand bag hung on her arm. "Now how on Earth did I get in here?"  
  
He couldn't place it, but she seemed vaguely familiar. He approached her carefully. "Excuse me, ma'am? Do you need help?"  
  
She looked briefly at him and waved dismissively, then did a double take. She tilted her head to the side and asked in utter astonishment, "Bernard? Is that you?"  
  
Then he remembered. "Aggie?"  
  
"Oh, it IS you! Oh, how good to see you again!" She embraced him in a warm hug, then held him at arm's length. "My, you've aged well."  
  
He inclined his head slightly. "As have you."  
  
"Last time I saw you, you were..." She looked around and spotted Curtis. She pointed to him. "You were just about his size! But then again, it has almost been a thousand years, now hasn't it?"  
  
"Approximately, yes." He smiled. "I take it you got my invitation?"  
  
"Yes, I did. Thank you so much! My, when I got it, I thought to myself 'Little Bernard's getting married? How can this be?' But you're not so little anymore! I just don't know why I thought that. I say, I have been quite brainless these past few days."  
  
"I know exactly how you feel."  
  
Curtis had been quiet long enough. "Okay, Bernard, who is this woman?"  
  
He had completely forgotten about poor Curtis at the sight of his old friend. "Sorry, this is Agatha Cromwell. Aggie, this is my best friend and coworker Curtis."  
  
They shook hands.  
  
Curtis looked skeptically at her odd clothing. "You're not from around here, are you?"  
  
"Oh, good heavens no..." She glanced around at the red and green decor and made a rather distasteful face. "I live in Halloweentown. I'm only here for the wedding... And the big Council meeting."  
  
Bernard raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're on the Council?"  
  
She giggled like a little girl. "Yes. I'm so excited to be the first mayor of Halloweentown to be invited to the Council. It's about time, too. Santa was so nice to ask me to come!"  
  
"Mayor, huh? Congratulations! I'm sure you do a wonderful job."  
  
Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Destiny and Merope hopped onto the scene. Destiny nodded briskly to Bernard and Curtis, then turned to Aggie. "Agatha Cromwell, on behalf of the Council of Legendary Figures, I, the Regent Destiny, welcome you to Elfsburg." She held out her hand, which Aggie shook gently.  
  
"The Regent, hmm? I thought someone else was the Regent." She threw a side glance at the tall elf beside her.  
  
Bernard held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I turned it down. Besides, until now we haven't really had a need for a Regent. This is, um...My future daughter, sent back in time on some kind of secret mission she can't share with us. And this..." He gestured to the tall girl behind Destiny. "Is her bodyguard, Merope."  
  
Agatha's eyes lit up, glad to be seeing someone not decked out in red and green. "You look very familiar. Do you live in Halloweentown?"  
  
"No," She replied dully. "I live on the moon."  
  
This statement earned weird looks from everyone within hearing distance. Destiny looked as though she would strangle her best friend. She laughed nervously. "Don't we all, these days, Merope? With the rush season upon us, that is..."  
  
"Excuse me," Curtis waved to get the attention of the taller people around him. "But where is this Halloweentown, why don't I know about it, and why are you and Bernard such good friends?"  
  
All eyes turned to Agatha, who smiled innocently. "My, that's a lot of questions." She turned to Bernard. "Do we have time for a little story?"  
  
He checked his watch and nodded, even though they really didn't have the time. "Would you like me to tell it?"  
  
"I'll start you off..." Everyone sat down cross-legged in a circle in the middle of the floor, completely ignoring where they were. "Halloweentown is a place in another dimension to which all the misunderstood monsters, ghosts, and witches retreated during the persecutions of the Middle Ages."  
  
Destiny nodded in understanding, "So you're a witch, aren't you?"  
  
"Why, yes. Yes I am! You didn't think I was human did you?"  
  
"No, not really. Please continue." She propped up her chin on her elbow.  
  
"You probably don't know about it, Curtis, because Halloween and Christmas have always been rival holidays and generally try to stay away from each other. And as for knowing Bernard..." She held out her hand toward Bernard, who took a deep breath.  
  
"Bear with me, because I don't normally talk about my past...Everyone ready for a long flashback?"  
  
Everyone nodded with enthusiastic interest. This was a rare moment indeed.  
  
"I'm just going to give you a paraphrased version, otherwise you'll hear so many thee's and thy's and thou's to give you a migraine..."  
  
"Stop stalling, Bernard!" Curtis waved his arms violently. "Get on with it!"  
  
And so, he began to speak.  
  
* * * *  
  
In the time before Santa moved the Workshop to the Pole, we elves lived in a secluded town in Scandinavia. You don't need to know the exact year, since it wouldn't matter to you anyway. I had been there long enough to rise to my current position, but not so long that I had known the original Saint Nick. I did, however become pretty good friends with his right hand man, Regent Rupert. Rupert was...Well, he was my role model. The way I treat the elves today is almost directly based off of how he treated them back then. The older elf was at best a stubborn jerk, extremely temperamental. Sometimes he could surprise all of us with his kindness, but for the most part...He carried a club and liked to hit us with it when we messed up. But hey, back then, it was okay. Perfectly normal.  
  
One particular, rather productive morning, the elves worked so diligently that Rupert decided to switch into big brother mode with me. He did that every once in a while, I guess because I reminded him of himself and he wanted to help me become a better leader. He stared down at me with a mischievous look in his eyes. "You're from the Duffy tribe, aren't you?"  
  
"Darby, actually."  
  
"You're from the Darby clan?" He raised an eyebrow.  
  
For those of you who might not know, the Darby clan is infamous for being a bunch of pompous, arrogant lunatics. Curtis, Maigri and I were once members of the tribe, but have since renounced it for obvious reasons. Needless to say, I wasn't proud of my heritage. I looked at my pointy shoes and muttered, "Not by choice."  
  
"You sure don't look like a Darby..." He went over to the wall and pulled off two of the adorning candy canes. He threw one to me. "Then I take it you can use a sword?"  
  
I looked at the decoration skeptically, curiosity starting to get the better of me. "I learned indirectly. My father made my little brother practice on me, and I just sorta picked it up."  
  
"So you were the punching bag. Sometimes that's the best way to learn anything." He turned the handle and to my surprise unsheathed a thin, silver sword. And all that time I'd thought they were just for decoration...The older elf nodded for me to do the same.  
  
I did. The weapon felt amazingly lightweight, and looked frighteningly sharp. I had only experienced a dull blade in the past, but I wasn't about to tell him that. "Um...Maybe you should know that I'm REALLY rusty at this..."  
  
"Nonsense, Bernard...One never goes rusty at this..." And with those words, he lunged at me. I instinctively brought up my own blade to stop him from lopping off my head. Now he had quite a height and weight advantage over me, being proportionately to me as I am now to Curtis, so I couldn't stop his momentum. He easily avoided my block and came at me again, twisting the weapon at the last possible and smacking me with its flat side, knocking me on my butt. By then every eye in the Workshop turned to watch us. He glared at all of them and tossed his dark red hair away from his eyes. "Don't you guys have toys to make?"  
  
They went back to work.  
  
I blinked. It had all happened so fast, my head still reeled from the impact. He held out his hand and helped me back up. "Okay, so I was wrong. You can be rusty. I guess I'll hafta teach you the right way to defend yourself."  
  
"I...Er...Sure?" I looked from one spinning Rupert to the other, trying to decide which one was the real one.  
  
Just then Santa approached us with a look of grave seriousness on his normally jolly features. "Excuse me, boys."  
  
We saluted. Or Rupert saluted and I waved my arms around in a weak attempt to prevent myself from toppling over again. He nudged me in the gut, as if to tell me off for goofing around.  
  
"I have a job for both of you." The Big Guy pulled out an envelope and handed it to Rupert. I shook my head and finally convinced the world to stop dancing around me.  
  
The Regent immediately tore it open and read its contents. He groaned. "Must I?"  
  
"Yes, Rupert. You must. And take Bernard with you, he still needs the practice."  
  
We BOTH groaned. I had just been promoted to the position of Head Elf, and hadn't quite gotten a grip my new teleportation power. Last time I'd tried it out with the intent of going to Paris, I'd ended up on my little island in the Caribbean. It took me weeks to figure out how to get back. Rupert turned to me. "Do you know where Halloweentown is?"  
  
"What's Halloweentown?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, no doubt wondering if I knew anything at all. "Okaaay, I want you to follow my magical wake. Can you do that?"  
  
"I dunno. Never tried."  
  
So we practiced a couple of times. I quickly got the hang of sensing his direction and sticking to it, and before I knew it, he'd pronounced me ready and sped off toward our destination. I felt a weird shiver right before I landed- not so gracefully- on the ground. I hopped up and dusted myself off. "What was that?"  
  
Rupert sucked in a lung full of damp, crisp fall air and let it out with satisfaction. "We are in another dimension, my eager little friend."  
  
Only then did I look around. In all my years of travel I had never seen anything like the place. Okay, no, let me rephrase that...The place seemed relatively ordinary, sparing the giant jack-o-lantern in the middle of the town square. What made me stare open-mouthed in complete and total awe were the creatures walking casually through the streets. There were ghosts, swamp creatures, witches (of course), goblins, werewolves, aliens, and many other things I couldn't begin to identify, just casually roaming the streets like they owned the place. Which they did. "Is this Halloweentown?"  
  
"No, it's Candyland. Duh, Bernard! Be a bit slower next time..." His hand absent-mindedly wondered to the sword at his side, and he laughed. "This might come in handy. Never know how these monsters will react to an elf. They could go CRAZY! So...Watch yourself."  
  
As we started down the path into the town, he began explaining our mission to me in a hushed voice. "We need to find this guy Merlin-"  
  
"Merlin? As in, THE Merlin? The greatest wizard of all time?"  
  
Rupert frowned. "Yes, that Merlin. I'm surprised you've heard of him."  
  
"Who hasn't?" I had heard so many rumors about his adventures, that I thought he had just been a legend. And here, I was gonna meet the guy! "One time, I heard that he-"  
  
My elder cut me off. "Don't believe everything you hear. Anyway, I need to beg him to come help us with our little demon problem."  
  
Demon problem? This was the first I'd heard of the news. "What demon problem?"  
  
He winced. "I shouldn't have said that...We have a portal to the Dark Dimension that opened up right next to the bakery. Nasty little demon things won't leave poor Gunt alone..." I looked nervously at some muck monsters nearby, but he waved dismissively in their direction. "They're not like these creatures, which are gentle by nature. Demons are evil, pure and simple."  
  
"Oh." I still didn't see the distinction.  
  
"So, anyway," he mumbled, looking around with the air of someone wanting to be anywhere else than where he was. "We need to find this Merlin guy as soon as possible, so we can get out of here."  
  
As we passed by a potion shop a seemingly human woman in her early forties carrying a broom stopped us and asked politely, "Excuse me, but did you just say you needed to find Merlin?"  
  
"Yes, but," Rupert said, almost too quickly. "We've got it under control."  
  
"Actually, we do. And we don't know our way around at all." I smiled weakly at Rupert, who looked like he wanted to hurt me very badly. At least I knew when to stop and ask for directions, the stubborn...Never mind.  
  
"Oh, well, I would be glad to take you to him. He always enjoys getting visitors." With a flick of her wrist, the broom simply vanished in a puff of blue smoke. She hiked up her skirt and started up the dirt road before Rupert had any time to complain again.  
  
I eagerly ran after her, excited to find a friendly, semi-normal individual in that crazy place. "If you don't mind my asking, how do you know him?"  
  
"Oh, he's my great uncle." She stopped and smacked her forehead (Or at least performed some ancient equivalent to smacking her forehead). "Oh, dear me. I didn't mention my name, did I?"  
  
I shook my head.  
  
"My name is Agatha Cromwell, but you may call me Aggie. And who might you be?"  
  
"Bernard, ma'am. A-and this is Rupert."  
  
Rupert waved unenthusiastically, bitter at having been pushed to the back burner.  
  
"It's nice to meet you both. Now come along, Bernard. Rupert."  
  
Over the hill and atop the next one sat a humble cottage amid some scraggly pine trees. A rosy smoke puffed out of the chimney. It looked rather inviting, and I was dead tired from our hike. Aggie rapped the door knocker twice and smoothed out her hair.   
  
A solid minute passed before an old man answered the door. He looked just like your stereotypical grandfather, not like the Merlin everyone tends to think of with the pointy hat and long white beard. He squinted, put on his glasses and a warm smile lit his face. "Why, hello, Aggie! What brings you by today?"  
  
"There are two visitors here to talk to you, Uncle. Rupert and Bernard. They're from..." She stopped and turned to us. "Excuse me, but where are you from?"  
  
"Santa sent us." Rupert explained as shortly as possible.  
  
"Ah, Christmas elves! Come in, come in..." He opened the door wider and beckoned us inside. The air smelled heavily of garlic and ginger, I remembered noting for absolutely no reason at all. He gestured to some chairs around a short wooden table. "Haven't seen too many of you guys in my lifetime."  
  
Everyone sat at the table, sparing Merlin who went into another room and returned a few seconds later with ready-made tea. "I'm sorry that took so long. If I'd known you were coming, I would have some already out."  
  
Rupert and I looked nervously at each other, but accepted our cups of tea graciously.  
  
He situated himself in the only empty seat and turned to Rupert. "So, what may I help you with today?"  
  
Rupert handed him the letter and he read through it several times. "Oh, dear...Oh...Dear...Demons, huh? That is serious." He put it down and removed his glasses. "Well, boys, I'll see what I can do about your little problem. But first, let me look at your cups. Finished?"  
  
Aggie handed hers to him first. He looked at the left over tea leaves in the bottom and grunted. "Sounds like that daughter of yours has been sneaking off to the mortal world again. You should confront her about it before she does something rash."  
  
Aggie made a face. "Oh, Gwen...Will you ever learn? Ur, thank you, Uncle."  
  
He motioned for Rupert to hand over the cup, but he frowned. "I don't see what the point of this is."  
  
"It's just a parlor trick, really. You don't need to give it to me, if you don't want to."  
  
"Here. Look at mine, please." I handed mine to Merlin.  
  
He took a long look into my cup, turning it around several times with an odd expression on his worn face. "Huh..."  
  
"What is it, sir?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, nothing..." He gave it back to me. "I got a strange reading from yours, young man. A very strange reading indeed."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I hate to interrupt." Maigri interrupted. "But I just wanted you to know that Mother Nature, the Sand Man, and the Easter Bunny have just arrived. Cupid and the April Fool on their way, but the Tooth Fairy won't be able to make it until the last minute."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Maigri." Destiny winked at him, making him very nervous.  
  
"Oh, and one more thing, Bernard..." He smiled fakely.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you please, TAKE STORYTIME SOMEWHERE ELSE? People are complaining!"  
  
They suddenly became aware of all the workers glaring at them.  
  
"Oh! Oops..." If this had been anime, he would have sweatdropped. "Let's go to the conference room. Shall we?"  
  
A few minutes later they settled down in the empty conference room. Concentrating on Bernard's story was a lot easier without the jumble of the Workshop. His words were the only sound in room, echoing off the walls in an almost eerie way.  
  
* * * *  
  
And that's when things began to fall apart.  
  
The window burst open and a barn owl flew in with a message on its leg. (Sounds like Harry Potter, doesn't it? She wasn't just pulling that owl thing out of her butt, ya know.) It landed in front of Merlin and screeched urgently.  
  
"What is it, my friend?" He hastily untied the message and scanned it quickly. His face grew stern, and he leaped out of his chair, turning it over. "I must leave. I'm sorry."  
  
Aggie also stood up. "Wait, what is it?"  
  
"My good friend Arthur, in the Mortal World, has been betrayed by his own son. If I don't leave now, he will surely die." He turned to us. "I am truly sorry, boys, but I must go. I will help you when I return."  
  
We nodded.  
  
"Now Aggie, in case for whatever reason, I don't return..." He reached into his bag and pulled out a clawed scepter with an opaque orb in its twisted fingers. He handed it to her gently and grasped her hands. "Take very good care of it for me. Don't let it get into evil's clutches."  
  
She looked distraught. "But I don't know how to use this!"  
  
"You'll know how to use it when and if the time comes." He smiled warmly. "After all, you're a Cromwell witch. And they're reputed to be the best kind there is."   
  
"I'm only a Cromwell through marriage, Uncle Merlin. You know that..." She blushed.  
  
"Doesn't matter, dear." He winked in my direction and turned to grab a staff from the far corner of the room.   
  
And with that last thought, he called his bird and together they left. We never saw him again.  
  
No one ever has.  
  
As legend goes not too long after that the Lady of the Lake lured him into a cave, stole his magic, and put him in a deep sleep from which he shouldn't wake until the end of time. I'm not sure I believe that, but I do know he hasn't come back. I can only imagine what really happened to him. Something involving angry humans and fire, probably. But let's not think too much about that.  
  
Rupert snorted and put his feet up on the table. "Well, that was a bust. I wonder what I should tell the Big Guy now."  
  
Aggie turned the scepter over in her hands thoughtfully. "You could stay here in Halloweentown and wait for him to return. He shouldn't be gone for more than a couple of days. You can stay with my daughter Gwen and me. I'm sure she would be more than happy to show you around our little village."  
  
He sighed. "Sure, I guess. I really don't want to return to our dimension empty handed anyway."  
  
After another half an hour's hike back into town, we came to a quaint three story shop. Aggie smiled, though I must say it didn't touch her eyes at all. "Ah, here we are...The family potion shop." She opened the door and yelled with startling viciousness, "GWEN, GET OUT HERE NOW!"  
  
There was a terrible stomping of feet down the stairs, making the whole building shake at its foundation. An exasperated young woman, about April's age with fiery red hair and angry piercing eyes, appeared in the doorway. She pouted and crossed her arms. "What, MOTHER?"  
  
Aggie once again smiled. "We have a couple of guests who will be staying with us for a few days. This is Bernard, and this is Rupert."  
  
I waved, but Rupert eagerly shook her hand. A weird, goofy look came over him. "Hullo...It's nice to meet such a beautiful flower such as yourself..."  
  
She rolled her eyes. I think she got that a lot.  
  
"I want you to show them around town. Okay?"  
  
She tossed her head in frustration and stomped her foot on the ground. "But MOTHER, I was GOING to go out on a date with Kalabar! He was gonna take me to that nice little pseudo-French restaurant that opened up on the other side of town."  
  
"Don't lie to me, Gwyneth. You two have been sneaking off to the mortal world to mess with humans again, and I know it! Merlin told me all about it."  
  
She winced. Busted. One couldn't hide from Uncle Merlin's watchful eyes. "Fine. I'll show them around. But at least let me owl Kal first."  
  
"Very well." The girl disappeared into the shop again. Aggie rubbed her forehead. "I apologize for her rude behavior. She's going through a rebellious phase. Normally she's such a well-mannered child."  
  
"Oh, that's okay..." Rupert grinned. It made me sick to see him in such a love-struck state.  
  
An owl flew out the window and Gwen returned with a broom built for three people. She frowned and inspected the dusty object. "Must I take this old thing? It looks horrible!"  
  
"Yes, Gwen, it's the only broom we have that will accommodate more than two people. Your cool reputation can just put its nose in the corner for the day. And be back before dinner. And don't ditch them somewhere and run off with Kalabar, or I swear you'll never see daylight again, young lady!" And with that, Aggie went into the shop and slammed the door.  
  
Gwen sighed. "I apologize for my mother. She's going through an 'oh poor me, my daughter's gonna leave the nest soon' phase. She's normally a much more pleasant woman."  
  
I found this statement slightly amusing, but kept any comments to myself.  
  
She made the broom hover and climbed on. She looked at us with contempt. "Well? Get on!" Rupert gladly climbed on behind her and put his hands on her waist. She growled. "Shoulders, please!" He obediently repositioned his hands. "Come on, Small Fry, I don't have all day..."  
  
I hopped on behind Rupert and the broom gave a stomach churning lurch.  
  
Up until just recently, no other experience had ever topped flying on that broom. The speed of it, the wind in my hair...It was the most awesome thing I've ever felt in my entire life! Okay, now the only thing that has ever been better was falling in love, but one could say I fell in love with flying too. I was so entranced in the feeling that I didn't hear a single bit of the tour she gave. All I remember were the vibrant colors flying by and the way my stomach fluttered when she sharply turned a corner. (She almost hit two swamp creatures and a goblin in the street, but that's irrelevant.) Oh, I could go on and on about it, but since I'm pressed for time, I won't.  
  
We came back an hour or so later, with wide eyes and wind-swept hair. Rupert fell to his knees and kissed the ground. I don't think he enjoyed it as much as I did. Gwen pushed me off and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Well, I hope you enjoyed that little tour, because I'm not doing it again." She reached for the door knob of the shop and stopped. She turned to us, suddenly alarmed. "Something's coming!"  
  
As if on cue, the ground rumbled loudly beneath our feet. Aggie came running out of the shop. "What's going on here?"  
  
"I feel a disturbance!"  
  
"Well, I got that! What is it?"  
  
Again, on cue, the ground erupted in front of us and a menacing tall figure in a black robe popped out. A hood obscured his face, so none of us got a really good look at him. "Surprise! Expecting me, dear?" With a few words I didn't understand, Gwen glowed with a blue light. She held up her hands to shield her face and turned into a statue.  
  
"Oh, my...Gwen!" Aggie froze in terror. So did I.  
  
Rupert, however leapt right into action. He drew his sword and charged at the figure. But the man simply waved his hand and sent him flying into a stone wall, about thirty or so feet away. There was a sickening crack, and he slid to the ground.  
  
By then, Aggie had collected her wits and dug the scepter-thingy out of her hip bag. She held it out and said something, (which totally flew over my head,) that caused the orb to light up. "Away with you, dark creature!"  
  
"Oooh, I'm so afraid! You don't even know how to use that, old woman!" He took a swipe at her with a nasty set of claws.  
  
She dodged him pretty easily. "I'm not as old as you think, stranger."  
  
He grunted and tried again. Again she dodged. His patience ran out. "Give that to me, woman!"  
  
"NEVER!"  
  
"Fine, then." He blasted her into a nearby tree. The scepter conveniently dropped right next to my foot and I snatched it before he even realized I had it.   
  
I held it out as she had. "You want this?"  
  
He turned to me and laughed scornfully. "What are you going to do with it, little elf? Zap me with it? Only a witch or warlock can harness its great power!"  
  
"That's what you think!"  
  
Now I'm not sure what happened next, really. I felt this weird power well up inside of me and I found myself speaking words I didn't understand. The light from within the orb grew in intensity until it reached a blinding level. I waved it at the hooded figure and the light shot out like a laser. When it hit him, he screamed in agony and disappeared.  
  
Gwen immediately unfroze and looked around nervously. She spotted Aggie stuck in the tree and ran to help her out.  
  
I stood there panting, still holding the scepter for a few seconds after the mysterious man had vanished, then exhaustion washed over me. The weapon fell out of my hands and I dropped to my knees. "I did it. Rupert, I did it. You can get up now."  
  
Suddenly, a new feeling took hold in the pit of my stomach: Fear. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He just lay there, face down on the dirt. I crawled over to him and rolled him over. "Rupert?"  
  
Now out of the tree, Aggie came running. She checked his pulse. "Oh no..."  
  
"Oh no? No, no 'oh no'! What's wrong with him?"  
  
She examined him a bit more closely before speaking again, and she did so with pity in her voice. "His skull cracked from the impact of the blast. I'm afraid...I'm afraid he died immediately."  
  
The world shattered around me. "He's dead?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Bernard." Aggie gave me a motherly hug, but it didn't even begin to help me. "I'm really so sorry."  
  
I didn't cry. I came close, but I haven't cried since I was very young. I searched for my voice, but all I found was a choked whisper. "What do I do now, Aggie?"  
  
"Well," came an echoing voice behind me. "It looks like you've got quite a lot to tell the Big Guy."  
  
We turned to see the transparent form of Rupert's spirit, smiling sadly at me.  
  
"Rupert, don't leave me!" I stood up and ignored the dizziness that swept over me. "I don't know what I'm doing!"  
  
"It looks like you know EXACTLY what you're doing, Bernard. That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen in my entire life...Though I guess that doesn't count now..." He made a face. "Look, I want you to be the Regent in my place, okay?"  
  
I shook my head violently. "NO! I can't replace you!"  
  
"Please, Bernard? Consider this my last request. Take my badge and my sword and go home. You'll know how now."  
  
Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I managed to contain them. "But what about you? Will you stay here?"  
  
"Oh, no, of course not! I'm not a resident of Halloweentown, I'm a Christmas Elf. Where do you think I'll go?"  
  
I sniffed and smiled the best I could. He was going to a better place after all. "Oh. What about your body?"  
  
"Burn it. As is my native people's custom. Do it here; don't take it back with you. Santa will understand my request. Now, if you'll excuse me...I've stayed much longer than I should anyway." His spirit flew off toward the west and disappeared into the setting sun.  
  
* * * *  
  
"I did as he had asked, but I couldn't bring myself to accept the Regent position. No one else wanted to take it either, so it became abandoned. Until Destiny came along, that is." Bernard took a deep, unsteady breath.  
  
Curtis blew his nose loudly on a handkerchief and rubbed his eyes. "So w-what about the demon problem?"  
  
"I tried, but I couldn't get rid of them... And Merlin never came back, so we were forced to leave our little town and move here."  
  
"Oh, so THAT'S how the elves moved to the North Pole!" Destiny exclaimed, smacking her palm on the table. "I'd always wondered about that!"  
  
"Well, now you know." He smiled falsely, still upset at having relived that horrible event. "Now we really ought to get back to work, before Maigri reports us."  
  
Everyone stood up and began filing out of the conference room. When Bernard and Aggie were the only ones left, she spoke in a whisper. "That's not exactly how I remember it. Merlin's tea reading for you went a bit differently, didn't it?"  
  
"Yes, well, they didn't need to know about it."  
  
"Okay, if you say so..."  
  
He looked at her uncomfortably and decided to change the subject. "So how is Gwen? Is she still with Kalabar?"  
  
"Oh, my goodness no! He turned out to be evil!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who attacked us that day...Say, did you know I have three grandchildren and one great-grandchild?"  
  
"That's great!" He held out his arm for her and together they left, still chatting.  
  
"Oh yes, Gwen married a nice human she met on one of her little adventures in the mortal world. But he died quite a few years ago...So unfortunate...She was never the same afterward."  
  
"I'm really sorry to hear that..."  
  
* * * *  
  
This is how the Bernard's tea reading really went...  
  
"Here. Look at mine, please." He handed his to Merlin.  
  
He took a long look into the cup, turning it around several times with an odd expression on his worn face. After a long pause, he asked, "May I ask you a personal question, Bernard?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Merlin looked over the top of his glasses. "You were an illegitimate child?"  
  
Rupert's eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing. Bernard looked down at his hands and nodded. "Yes, sir. I was."  
  
"I am also a bastard, if it makes you any better." He turned it over and looked at the tea leaves again. "You think your father was human, don't you?"  
  
Rupert's mouth dropped open.  
  
"Yes, sir. He was."  
  
"Maybe you should rethink that assumption...He had magic in him, as do you." He set the tea cup down gently and smiled down at the young elf with a twinkle in his eye. "You will do many great things, Bernard. Great things indeed."  
  
Before Bernard could even take that in, the window burst open and a barn owl flew in with a message on its leg...  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: And I'll leave it there...*Laughs manically* What'd ya think? Have I totally flipped my lid? Okay, so it didn't turn out nearly as badly as I thought it would...Although I'm still not satisfied with it. Please don't forget to review! I'm shooting for seventy-five this time for sure, but I can only do it because of YOU! Your comments are always gladly welcome. 


	10. The Great Holiday Crisis

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 10: The Great Holiday Crisis  
  
Disclaimer: Must I? Ya know by now...*grumbles incoherently about Disney owning SC 1 & 2, as well as Halloweentown 1 & 2.* The song "Naked" is by Avril Lavigne (who stole April's original name! Avril is French for April, and I'm a big fan of the French language...Maigri comes from the word maigrir, which means "to loose weight". *Chuckles* Maybe he should try that...Oh, Maigri's glaring at me now so I'll shut up.)  
  
On another note: I got SC special edition on DVD and was overwhelmingly delighted to find the "How to Be an Elf" Special featured none other than our beloved Bernard! *squeals just thinking about it* I suggest to all those who don't have it yet that you get it or rent it or something as soon as possible, because it is soooooooo kawaii! I about keeled over with happiness, I tell ya! I was happy for days! In fact, I'm still happy about it!  
  
And To CrystalHorse72: *clears my throat* How do you really know that that dream wasn't just a dream? Huh? HUH? Okay, so here's the truth: His "father" came back to torture him and found him almost dead. He realized Bernard was trying to take the cheap/easy way out of being sold into slavery, and just to be cruel he saved young Bernie's life. Then he sold the boy. About three hundred years later (or something like that) an old elvin man bought him, freed him, and trained him in the ways of alchemy. Upon the old man's death, Bernard moved to Scandinavia; where he was taken in by a guy we affectionately call Saint Nick.   
  
Does that clear things up? I sure hope so...*Makes an unreadable face*  
  
And so...Here it is, for better or worse... The wedding chapter. *Laughs at my own bad joke* Okay, anyway, enjoy!  
  
* * * *  
  
"You look disgruntled, Maigri. What's wrong?"  
  
Maigri normally looked disgruntled, so he felt mildly surprised that Destiny could tell there was something wrong. He sighed and leaned against the wall, not looking at the elvin girl. "What's it to you?"  
  
"Why must you take that tone with me? I want to be your friend." She moved into his field of view so he had to look at her. She frowned.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Why? I haven't been very nice to you."  
  
"You don't exactly have any good friends..."  
  
"Hey!" He snapped, suddenly angry. This was a REALLY sensitive subject for him. "I have plenty of friends!"  
  
She barked out a laugh, daring to match his bitter tone. "You mean those chumps you hang around in your spare time? Those are your posse, not your friends. They only gather around you because you favor them, give them little perks. No?"  
  
Ouch.   
  
He riffled through his entire being for the appropriate response to that, but came up empty handed. He just stared at her with the best impassive expression he could muster, but it betrayed his hurt. He'd felt hurt a lot lately, and it was all her fault...He didn't know how, but it was.  
  
They stared at each other for quite a while, Maigri angrily searching her eyes for a motive, and Destiny smiling with obvious falsity. Finally she broke the silence with a random, "You wanna come back to my place and talk?"  
  
*Boink* He blinked a couple of times and looked around nervously. "Huh?"  
  
"You heard me!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the Workshop. That voice in the back of his mind screamed repeatedly, commanding him to do something nasty to her, but he couldn't do a thing. He felt...Strange...People in the streets goggled at them with wide, surprised eyes. He mirrored their expressions the whole way to April's apartment. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening, this...wasn't...happening...  
  
She unlocked the door and tossed him in, then slammed it closed. "Okay, Maigri, cough it up! What's wrong with you?"  
  
Finally the voice grew quiet. Too quiet. He slumped against the door and slid to the floor, shaking his head. "I don't know, but I've been this way ever since YOU arrived."  
  
She leaned on the coffee table. "Oh, no. Don't you blame this on me...I'm not your problem."  
  
Silence. Fine, then...  
  
"You wanna know?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"You really want to know?"  
  
"YES."  
  
"Do you really-?"  
  
Her eye twitched and she snapped. "JUST TELL ME ALREADY!!!"  
  
He sucked in a deep breath and said rapidly, "I wasn't invited to Bernard's wedding. I was the only person in the whole blasted city not invited, and I feel just a bit left out. Okay?"  
  
She blinked. Whatever she had expected wasn't anything remotely near what he just said.  
  
There went his reputation as an insensitive jerk. It flew riiiight out the window...He ran a hand through his scraggly dirty blond hair and muttered, "You may laugh now. Go ahead."  
  
Destiny snorted and squatted next to him. "Why would I laugh at you? It's only natural for you to feel hurt. But you brought that on yourself, you know. Maybe if you hadn't treated Bernard and April so badly, they would have gladly invited you to the wedding."  
  
He stared down at his hands in an effort to avoid meeting her gaze. "My little brother is his best man, and I don't even get invited."  
  
A minute passed without another word. Destiny sat next to him and looked at her watch. "Well the wedding is in an hour, and I had been planning to attend, but...While seeing my parents' tie the knot has always been a dream of mine, you need me more."  
  
"I don't need you..." He meant it to sound menacing, but it just sounded tired. She patted his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. Oh boy, he was getting that weird feeling again. Why couldn't he move? Why didn't he twist her arm or smack her or...something? But he just sat there.  
  
Finally, he sighed and leaned his head against hers. "Thanks, Destiny. This means a lot."  
  
"Now that's the Maigri I know..." She placed her hand over his.  
  
Now he could attach a word to the feeling: Warm. He felt deliciously warm. Odd how the sensation seemed so alien to the elf...  
  
But he liked it.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Oh, candy corn, where's Destiny?" Merope brushed a strand of long red hair behind her pointy ear and searched the area frantically. "This thing's about to start in..." The music started. (An acoustic piano version of Hanson's *yes I know, just don't say anything* "At Christmas", in case anyone was wondering.) She winced, realizing her window of opportunity to search for her best friend had just slammed down on her fingers. She stomped the ground and cursed under her breath before composing herself and putting on a happy, happy face.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure she's okay," Judy muttered through clinched teeth.  
  
Bernard shifted his weight to the other foot and grinned at Curtis, who flashed him a brief thumbs up. This was it, this was it, this was it! We're not talking about a practice...This was the real thing. Bernard glanced to the empty spot between Sarah and Judy where Destiny should have been standing in her forest green bridesmaid dress. His smile faltered, but only for a second.  
  
Finally, after about an eternity, April entered the area in a simple white dress with green trimmings on the long sleeves and low neckline. None other than Scott himself stood at her side to give her away. She'd been so upset when she realized her father wouldn't be there that Santa readily volunteered (with some prompting from his wife, of course). Mother Nature was performing the service, just like she had for Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The rest of the newly expanded Council (The Sand Man *who was wide awake for once*, The Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Thanksgiving Turkey, The April Fool *who reluctantly agreed to not pull any funny stuff*, Father Time, Uncle Sam, Agatha, the Stork *Not commenting, here*, Saint Patrick, The Tooth Fairy, Mrs. Claus and Lady Luck but no Woman in the Moon, as she was still MIA) were now sitting happily in the audience. All knew and liked Bernard a lot, so they naturally wanted to be there. And he HAD sent every one of them an invitation, after all.  
  
April beamed at Bernard when she finally reached him. Her look didn't betray her dissatisfaction with the rushed wedding in the slightest bit. She did love him with all her heart, so she went along with it.  
  
Mother Nature smiled down at them lovingly and spoke in a sweet, but booming voice. "We are gathered here today to unite Head Elf Bernard and April Sully in matrimony..." She had them say their normal vows (which I won't go into for sake of holding attention), but then when April expected it all to be over, and the kiss to come, it didn't. "Bernard asked me if he could say a few extra words."  
  
They hadn't practiced this! April felt a wave of slight panic wash over her, but she looked into his eyes and knew it would be okay. He cleared his throat. "The other day while visiting your apartment, I heard a song that seemed to say everything that I feel when I'm near you. I'll spare everyone here the torture of listening to me sing, but I do want to recite the words for you.  
  
"I wake up in the morning, put on my face.  
The one that gonna get me through another day.  
It doesn't really matter, how I feel inside,  
'cause life is like a game sometimes.  
  
"But then you came around me,  
The walls just disappeared.   
Nothing to surround me  
Keep me from my fears.  
  
"I'm unprotected...  
See how I've opened up.  
You've made me trust.  
  
"I'm trying to remember why I was afraid  
To be myself  
And let the covers fall away...  
I guess I've never had someone like you  
To help me fit in my skin..."  
  
April broke down in happy tears at that point. "So much for me not crying at my own wedding..."  
  
"All right then," concluded Mother Nature. "By the power invested in me, by you know who, I pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride!"  
  
He did.  
  
* * * *  
  
Destiny and Maigri were watching the ceremony on Destiny's little palm pilot thingy. She wiped a tear out of her eye. "You go, Daddy!"   
  
"So I got to see it after all."   
  
Destiny turned it off and tossed it at their feet. "See? Now you can know what everyone's talking about."  
  
He sighed. "Yeah. Sure."  
  
She also sighed, exasperated with his pity party. "What's wrong now?"  
  
He looked away. "It's stupid. Don't worry about it."  
  
"No, don't do that. Now I'm curious!" She smacked his arm lightly.   
  
"Fine." He looked up at the ceiling, totally not believing the words were actually going to come out of his mouth. "In the future, are WE in love?"  
  
Now it was her turn to look away in shame. "I don't know, Maigri. Every time I try to get closer to you, you always pull away from me. I know I like you a lot, but I often wonder if you're not just stringing me along."  
  
"I wouldn't do that." He looked gravely honest.  
  
"You wouldn't?"  
  
"Love and honor are two things I don't joke around with, Destiny. There must be a pretty darned good reason why I keep backing off, and it most likely has nothing to do with you personally."  
  
She looked him in the eye again. They were awfully close..."I don't understand."  
  
"Me neither. Me. Neither."  
  
There was an awkward silence. "Maigri, I-" The device at her feet gave an urgent beep, and she quickly picked it up. "Oh, crap!"  
  
She jumped to feet with amazing gracefulness.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
She searched the map of the town frantically. Something bulged and pushed against the barrier to the Dark Dimension. Any second, it could..."its happening. It's happening NOW!"  
  
She pushed a button and spoke into the top of the device. "Attention everyone, we have a Code Red in place right now. All units report to the tinsel football area, NOW! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is NOT a drill! Begin the evacuation immediately!" She let go of the button for a moment. "We hafta go. Now. Help Charlie evacuate everyone. Okay?"  
  
Maigri nodded.  
  
Destiny grabbed two golden swords and an extremely large candy cane from the corner of the room and fled the apartment. She left the door standing wide open.  
  
"Evacuate." Maigri bit his lip. This place had been his home for how long? Practically a thousand years.  
  
Something fuzzy brushed up against his leg. It was April's cat, Tinsel. Without thinking twice, Maigri scooped up the gray ball of fur and stuffed him inside of his coat. "Come on, you. We're leaving."  
  
Tinsel meowed loudly, but didn't squirm or try to run away. He could sense what was about to happen.  
  
* * * *  
  
At Destiny's frantic announcement, everyone at the wedding (which was EVERYONE) began to panic. Destiny ran onto the scene, threw Merope her sword and handed Bernard the candy cane. "You might need this..." She amplified her voice so the whole crowd could hear her. "Okay, everyone. Please stay calm!"  
  
At these words, the barrier broke. A figure, hidden by a black cloak appeared. The dark energy he emitted make the crowd shrink back at least ten feet. The mysterious man threw his arms open wide and boomed with obvious glee, "Attack, my Holiday Consumers! You know your orders!" And promptly vanished again.  
  
And then the things popped onto the scene.  
  
The robots looked basically like mutant, angry mall moms. (A/N: Does that make any sense? Oh well :P) They had rollers in their 'hair' (in reality, their energy source), yellow cat eyes and incredibly long, sharp claws. Some of them had shopping bags, and others had vacuums on their backs. Almost as soon as they appeared, they began attacking the guests. Specifically, they attacked only guests that were known members of the Council.  
  
The first Council member to go was The Sand Man. One of the Holiday Consumers grabbed him, and another one sucked him into a glass jar with the vacuum cleaner. Then it threw the glass jar to one of the other Consumers which stuck the jar in a shopping bag and disappeared. They were suddenly everywhere!  
  
By the time Destiny's army arrived on the scene, the robots and also gotten to Mother Nature. After those two had disappeared, the robots decided it was okay to start hurting and even KILLING the Council members. About five of them stabbed the April Fool with their claws repeatedly until he went POOF! His jester's cap and squirty flower fell to the ground and they eagerly sucked the items into jars like bizarre souvenirs  
  
The elves fought as well as they could, but weren't making much progress.  
  
Charlie pushed his way through the crowd, helping the remainder of the Council members away from the area. He grabbed a shopping bag from one of the Consumers and beat the thing until it stopped chewing on one of Cupid's wings.  
  
"Thanks, man, I owe ya!"  
  
"No time for talk, I gotta get you out of here!" Charlie slapped a small device with a blinking light onto the flying love bringer's arm and pushed a button. It teleported him to the nearest spaceship, which was being loaded with elves.  
  
And then it happened. He was almost to his father, when one of the robots stabbed Scott right in the heart. "Dad! NOOO!"  
  
Scott just stared blankly and began to fade away. Carole ran to his side, but it was too late. She picked up his robe and boots as they fell empty to the ground. Then, she too began to fade. "Oh, no...Charlie!" Her voice echoed with an otherworldly hollowness.  
  
"Carole!" He finally reached her and stuck the device on her. But it fell right through her as she continued to vanish.  
  
"Oh, Charlie...I'm so sorry! Take these; don't let those things get them!" And with that, she was gone. He stared wide eyed at where she had been standing, too shocked to do anything. Then a Consumer grabbed the robe, bent on making it a souvenir.  
  
"Oh, no you don't! Give me my dad's clothes back! You can't have them, you hear me? You can't have them!" He pulled on the antique suit with all his might, not even thinking about what would happen if it ripped. All he could see was his father disappearing over and over, and it made him very, VERY angry. He and the robot engaged in tug of war for almost a minute before a silver arrow flew through the android's head and it fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Merope had produced a crossbow and a slue of arrows out of nowhere and was launching them at offending Consumers from atop the roof of a nearby shop. Numbly, Charlie gathered up his father's clothes and slapped a teleporter on himself.  
  
"No, no, no, no, NO! Not on my wedding day!" April kicked one of the Consumers in the shin, distracting it from attacking the Easter Bunny, who gladly hopped off with a limp toward the nearest hovering spaceship that was now sucking up elves and Council Members. The robot, angry at having lost its prey, smacked April across the head with its shopping bag. She stumbled back, muttered, "What do you have in there, a brick?" and promptly passed out.  
  
Before she even hit the ground, Bernard pulled the candy cane sword out of its sheath and beheaded the android. Then he resheathed the weapon and scooped his wife into his arms. The ordiment-like space ship flew over them and teleported them away from the chaos.  
  
As soon as his feet hit the deck, he called out. "She's hurt, someone help her!"  
  
Judy and Abby immediately came to assistance. "Abby, get some strong peppermint and some ice water."  
  
"Okay!" Abby scuttled off.  
  
Destiny looked out the port window with a great heavy feeling in her heart as she watched few of the buildings being set on fire by the Holiday Consumers. She looked down at her device and sighed. "That's everyone. Get us out of here."  
  
"Yes ma'am!" The pilot pushed a couple of buttons and all the UFOs took off through the hole in the ice cave roof.  
  
"Is she going to be okay?" Bernard looked as though he would completely fall apart any second. He sat next to Judy, who was fanning April with a program from the service. "Please tell me I'm not going to loose her."  
  
"Once Abby gets the peppermint, she should be fine. Although I fear she may have a mild concussion, so I'll hafta watch her for a while."  
  
He buried his face in his hands and groaned. "This is the worst day of my entire life!"  
  
Destiny rubbed his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Bernard. She's not going to die on you. I'd be disappearing by now."  
  
He looked up at her and managed with great effort to produce a weak smile. "If you hadn't been wherever you were instead of with us, this could have been a lot worse."  
  
She glanced quickly in Maigri's direction and blushed. "Ah, well..."  
  
Abby ran back with a bottle of peppermint oil and a cup of water. She handed the bottle to Judy who unscrewed the cap and waved it under April's nose. She coughed and opened her eyes. "What's the license plate number of the thing that whacked me in the head? I want to give it a serious...butt-kicking..." She slurred some more and rolled over onto her stomach. Her vision cleared slightly and she spotted Bernard. A goofy grin spread over her face. "Hi, Honey. Crazy party, huh?"  
  
He looked sick.  
  
"Here, April, have some of this." Abby tipped the cup so that some of the cool liquid into April's mouth, but it mostly got all over the floor. The elf grunted. "This isn't working."  
  
"That's because you're not doing it right." Judy grabbed the cup and threw the ice cold water onto April's face. She snapped out of her dazed state with a loud shriek.  
  
Judy smiled wearily. "Percussive maintenance...Works every time!"  
  
April waved her arms frantically. "Oh, cold! Cold, cold, cold! COLD!"  
  
"Abby, dear cousin, please get her a towel."   
  
"Right away, Judy." Abby really didn't mind being bossed around by her cousin, since they were still in emergency mode. Everyone had to work together in their time of crisis.  
  
Curtis came in, nursing his rapidly bruising jaw. "Hey, Destiny...Where are we headed?"  
  
"You don't know yet?"  
  
"All I know is that Earth is getting pretty small out that window." He jerked his head toward the window, and naturally all the unoccupied elves ran to see. None of them had ever been in outer space before!  
  
"We're going to the moon, silly!"  
  
Curtis paled. "Oh, right. The moon. Where there's no air..."  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, this chapter was rushed and a bit unfocused, but I hope you liked it. Have a happy wedding, BERNARD! *Laughs evilly, cokes on my gum, then coughs a lot* Please review! Not as many peeps reviewed the last chapter as I would have hoped. *Grumbles about not getting 75 reviews, and I was soooo close too!* Please don't make me hold the next chapter back until I get enough to make me happy. I worked hard on these chapters! Is it so much to tell me your honest opinion of them? 


	11. The Emergency Clause

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 11: The Emergency Clause  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Oh, ya know, I couldn't have a Santa Clause fic without there actually being a clause in it. So here ya goo. Remember, I own my charas, but I don't own the original SC charas. Wish I did, but I don't. Got that?  
  
To Crystal Millennium: I figured that there couldn't be a Mrs. Claus without a Mr. Claus. So if he disappeared, so would she. Where did the Mrs. Claus go when Santa fell off the roof and Scott took over? If you can successfully answer that question, I'll give you an imaginary cookie. I don't know! This is a fic, for Christmas' sake. I can go on pure speculation if I want to. Isn't that okay? And in answer to your question about Charlie...READ ON! All will be explained.  
  
To everyone: Enjoy!  
  
* * * *  
  
"My cat! Where's my cat? Don't tell me you just LEFT him there!" April shook Destiny violently. "I want my TINSEL!"  
  
"Calm down, there, you high strung little human woman!" Maigri pried April's fingers off of her own daughter's neck. He unzipped his over shirt and handed her the cat, which'd been sleeping quite peacefully. "I have your Tinsel right here."  
  
"TINSEL! Oh, my baby!" She rubbed her face in his fluffy fur. "I thought you were gone for good!" After she'd hugged the life out of the cat, she turned to Maigri and demanded, "Why did you have my cat in your shirt?"  
  
He frowned. "Your welcome."  
  
"I-I invited him over." Destiny cleared her throat. "Ya know, since he couldn't come to the wedding. And when the attack hit, I didn't even think about Tinsel. But I guess he did."  
  
Bernard threw her a questioning look. She shrugged it off.  
  
"Well, thank you, Maigri." April curtsied. "That was so very uncharacteristically sweet of you."  
  
"Let's just say you owe me big. Okay?" But he couldn't keep the smile from playing at the corners of his mouth. That stupid warm feeling just wouldn't go away. In fact it was starting to infect his very soul. Ack, blasted niceness! Oh well...  
  
Bernard turned to Destiny and asked quietly, "How much longer will we be traveling before we reach our destination?"   
  
She looked at the computer screen in front of her. "About two hours, if we keep going at this rate."  
  
He nodded and his tone turned grim. "And what are we going to do about our sudden lack of a Santa?"   
  
"I don't know, Bernard. I just don't know." She bit her lip.   
  
A great silence hung in the air of the control room, in which everyone took off their hats and mourned the passing of the greatest Santa the world had ever known. After a minute, Curtis cleared his throat and said heavily, "I guess it's time to invoke the Emergency Clause."  
  
The whole room (which besides Curtis, currently consisted of the pilot, Bernard, April, Maigri, Judy, Abby and Destiny) chorused, "The Emergency Clause?"  
  
He took a deep breath, twisted his hat nervously and spoke up. "The Emergency Clause basically states that if something should happen to Santa and no one reads the card and takes his place, either the Regent or Head Elf may nominate a replacement."  
  
Destiny and Bernard looked at each other for a few moments and agreed in unison, "Charlie."  
  
Just then, the door opened and Merope entered, shaking her head. "Don't count on it, guys. I'm afraid Charlie's snapped."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I just don't know what to do, Bernard." Danielle whispered and threw a glance at the doors to a small room. Charlie sat in the corner, rocking slowly back and forth and crying into his father's robe. She grimaced painfully at the sight. "He won't even talk to me, and I'm his wife!"  
  
"So...Nothing?"  
  
"Well, he kept saying that it was all his fault. And when I tried to tell him that it wasn't, he became like this." She grabbed the sleeves of Bernard's shirt and looked frantically into his eyes. "Please help him...He's so sensitive, I'm afraid he'll loose his sanity if he stays this way much longer. His father meant the world to him, you know."  
  
"Yes, I know." Bernard opened the door and hesitated. "I'm not very good at this..."  
  
She smiled and rubbed her red eyes. "Good luck."  
  
He took a deep breath and crossed the room to sit next to Charlie. The young man stopped rocking upon sensing the other presence in the room, but continued to sob into the dark red coat. Bernard took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.   
  
And waited.  
  
Five minutes later, Charlie finally acknowledged his presence. "Well, aren't you going to say something?"  
  
He looked down at his old friend. "No. Not unless you're ready to talk. Remember, I'm over three thousand years old; I can wait."  
  
Charlie sat up and finally pulled his face away from the coat. His eyes were extremely bloodshot and swollen, but considering that he'd been crying for at least an hour straight, he looked pretty good. He sniffed and smoothed out the soft garment in front of him. "I...I was right there, Bernard. I watched it happen, and I-I couldn't stop it. They're both dead, and it's all my fault."  
  
"You didn't actually physically kill them, did you?"  
  
His eyes went wide. "Of course not!"  
  
Bernard shrugged trying very hard not to think about what it must have been like. "Then it's not your fault. You did what you could."  
  
"But..." He held out the robe as if presenting evidence.  
  
"No buts, Charlie. You saved so many people today... Scott would be proud."  
  
Charlie wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Really?"  
  
Bernard smiled as best he could. "Yes. Hey, I'm proud of you. And there are about four or five Council members who are too, if you want to talk to them."  
  
His eyes brightened just a little and the panic began to ease out of his voice. "How is everyone, by the way?"  
  
"Bruised and broken, but okay. I think. I haven't really had time to look at the reports yet."  
  
Charlie nodded, suddenly feeling a lot better. He sucked in a couple of deep, calming breaths. "Thanks, Bernard. Thanks for being here. You're a great friend."  
  
Bernard winced. Here it came..."Actually, I'm here on business. I need to ask you something, and I know it's going to be hard for you, but..." He trailed off, realizing it was just too soon to ask him such a life-altering question. "I guess it can wait."  
  
"N-no, what is it?"   
  
Bernard looked him straight in the eye. "We need a replacement for Scott, and we need him by next week. Curtis told me that I have the power in this case to nominate someone for the position."  
  
The pain came rushing back again, but Charlie managed to stay calm. He rubbed his eyes to keep the tears from spilling over. "Who do you have in mind?"  
  
Bernard hesitated. "You, Charlie. I think you would be perfect for the job."  
  
Charlie's mouth dropped open, as that statement hit home. He stared at Bernard dumbfounded. "I...I don't know what to say...Why me?"  
  
"You're one of the only people on in the entire world who's believed in Santa all your life...You understand children better than most parents...All the elves love you...And I remember when you were little you wanted to take over the position when you were old enough. Well you're old enough, the position's open, and we need you-"  
  
Charlie held up his hand. "Okay, enough reasons! I got it!" He stared at Bernard with something almost like contempt. This was just happening too quickly!  
  
"You would be the youngest Santa ever, though. What are you now, eighteen?"  
  
"Nineteen."  
  
"You were born to be Santa, Charlie. You realize that, don't you?"  
  
He buried his face in his hands and choked back another wave of panic. "Yes. I knew from the moment Dad put on the suit that I would inherit it one day. I just didn't think it would be so soon."  
  
There was a long silence. Bernard chuckled quietly, earning a poisonous look from Charlie. He worked up a smile. "Oh, that first year just came to mind...I had to practically beat Scott over the head to make him understand, but you knew almost instinctually what he was supposed to do. I remember thinking, 'Sheesh, his kid is smarter than he is!' And it wasn't just a part of the Christmas magic, either. Normal kids don't know as much about Santa's job as you did. They just know if they're good, they can write a letter and leave out some cookies and milk, and Santa will give them what they want. Kids that age rarely understand the finer workings of his position, but you did. I saw the seed of something special in you, Charlie. That's why I gave you the snow globe in the first place. And since then...Forgive me for sounding overly poetic, but that seed has grown into the most beautiful sense of the Christmas Spirit I have ever seen."  
  
Charlie also chuckled half-heartedly, not sure what to say to that. "Really? I thought you gave it to me just because you were a nice guy."  
  
"Well, that too..." Bernard winked and nudged him in the ribs.  
  
"Hey, ow!" Charlie laughed genuinely for the first time since the Crisis, and playfully punched Bernard in the arm. "Thanks, Bernard. I'll seriously consider it. Okay?"  
  
The Head Elf stood up and looked down at the young man with almost a fatherly pride. "Remember, you only have a week to decide."  
  
"Can I talk it over with my wife first?"  
  
"Yes. I'm sure she'll gladly talk to you now that you're coherent." Bernard opened the door for Danielle and jerked his head in Charlie's direction. She touched his arm and mouthed a thank you before crossing the room to give Charlie a loving hug. He stared at them for a moment before deciding to check out how his own wife was doing.  
  
He'd almost reached the elevator when Destiny announced over the intercom, "We will be docking in approximately five minutes."  
  
At those words, he effected an immediate change of course and sharply turned a corner, now heading toward what he hoped was the unloading area. There he waited, greeting any other people who found their way through the maze of hallways. He tried not to worry too much about April and concentrate on his job, but it still bothered him greatly. What a way to spend his wedding day. If only he'd known what would happen...It would have been nice if Destiny had TOLD him what would happen, but it was very likely she didn't know in the first place. And even if she did tell him, he would have rescheduled and then it wouldn't happen, so there was no way she would have known about it because it wouldn't have happened that way...  
  
Rules of time travel can give one quite the headache.  
  
Destiny and Merope finally appeared on the scene, the latter leading a slightly disoriented April by the elbow. All three stopped and smiled at him in the weird annoying way they had when they had some kind of secret between them. It was probably just nerves, though. Destiny spoke to the clustered group of elves between them and Bernard. "Brace yourselves for landing!"  
  
The ship rocked gently, jostled a bit against something, then settled to a complete stop. Destiny and Merope fought their way to the front of the pack. Destiny smoothed out her hair and looked nervously up at Bernard. "We'll stay here and guide the late comers, okay? You can go on ahead. We've already seen it, anyway."  
  
He didn't hear her or the noisy elves, however. He was busy looking into April's glittering green eyes from across the room. She smiled her trademark smile and somehow he knew everything would be alright. Oh, how he longed to hold her...But business first, business first.  
  
After a moment of impatient silence, the glass doors slid open. Before the group stood an incredibly tall, incredibly beautiful young, athletic woman with long silver hair (tied back), dressed in blue leather. Around her neck hung a rather large dog whistle. She smiled warmly and clapped her hands together, excitement showing in her eyes and her voice as she boomed, "Welcome to the moon, my home. I am Diana, and I will be your host. I hope you all enjoy your stay!"  
  
All the elves looked at each other questioningly, but said nothing.  
  
"Please follow me." The woman took off at a brisk pace with which the little people had quite a hard time matching. They traveled down a long, dimly lit, cramped tunnel for at least five minutes before coming to a set of thick steel doors.  
  
Diana pushed a couple of buttons on the keypad next to the door, then waved and said something in Latin. The sound of gears turning vibrated the ground under their feet. Diana yelled over the noise. "Welcome, friends, to Holidayopolis!"  
  
The doors rolled back, revealing a wall of a highly reflective sky blue gel-like substance, which seemed to be constantly in motion.   
  
"Go ahead. Just walk through!" The tall woman shoved a group of frightened, tightly clustered elves through the portal. A loud slurping sound made everyone just a bit nervous, but before anyone could comment about it, she shoved some more into it.  
  
"Bernard!" April jumped into his arms before he could even recognize who was speaking to him. She buried her face in his shirt. "I don't want to go anywhere without you!"  
  
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "Then don't! We're married now; we can do this together."  
  
"This has been the craziest day, hasn't it? We couldn't even enjoy our after party!" She stepped back just enough to look into his eyes. She still looked kinda out of it, which made him very nervous. Tears bubbled up in her eyes. "I wish..."  
  
He ran his fingers through her hair and lowered his voice to a gentle whisper. "I'm not happy about it either, but we can't go back. We can only move forward...And we still have our honeymoon to look forward to!"  
  
She sniffed. "Yeah, in about a week. Most likely... You were married to your job long before you decided to take me for your wife."  
  
"I'm sorry, April. I really am, but I AM the Head Elf..."  
  
She sighed. "I know. I know. But there's Destiny...Why couldn't she handle things?"  
  
He opened his mouth to reply, but another voice cut him off. "Oh, I can handle things, alright. You two go have fun."  
  
"But there's too much to do-"  
  
"NO!" Destiny pointed at Bernard's nose, clearly frustrated. "I'm above you and I'm ORDERING you to...To go sleep with your wife!" Then before he could argue, she bowed to Diana and stepped through the portal.  
  
Diana made a disgusted face at the couple. "Well, you heard the girl. Take it somewhere else, please."  
  
"But where...?"  
  
The woman rolled her eyes. "Just go through the blasted portal! All will make itself clear after that. I promise. And hurry up, slowpokes. You're the last ones left!"  
  
"Well, I guess we should get going, then." Bernard held out his arm to his bride. "Shall we?"  
  
She slipped her arm through his. "Lead the way."  
  
Once successfully on the other side, they literally ran into a mining car. Bernard, who'd been leading the way, toppled over the side onto a bench-like seat. April snorted and shoved his feet inside before opening the side door and calmly stepping inside.  
  
Bernard righted himself in the seat and grabbed his hat, which had landed in the corner of the car. He shoved it onto his messed up hair and pointed at April. "Not one word. Just don't say anything."  
  
"Yes, Master," She giggled, turning it so it sat correctly on his head. "I won't say anything at all!"  
  
He tried to frown, but it didn't work. Instead, he pulled her onto his lap. "I'll 'Yes, Master' you, Wife."  
  
From the car in front of them, Destiny and Merope rolled eyes at each other. Merope groaned as they watched the couple play a nice little round of tonsil hockey. "Oh, someone shoot me. They're just like your parents!"  
  
Destiny lifted an eyebrow at her.  
  
"What? Oh, yes I know they ARE your parents...But you know what I mean. Must they do that in front of me? It always grosses me out." She shuttered.   
  
"Let's not go any farther with this conversation, 'cause I'm getting a bit grossed out now." Destiny stood up and addressed the couple with a wave of her arms. "Hey, guys, chill! You can get a room in a minute...Guys...HEY, LOVEBIRDS, I GOTTA SAY SOMETHING!"  
  
They broke away from their juicy kiss and glared grudgingly at her.  
  
"I'm going to take you to our destination, okay? This place is huge, but really all ya need to know is that we're going to an exact replica of Elfsburg. There you will find everything is exactly how you left it when we fled. And that means EVERTHING. As in, there's as much toilet paper left on the roll as there was back home. Oh, no, don't bombard me with questions about how that works, because that info is classified." She crossed her arms and stared at them defiantly, as if telling them to please ask. They glanced at each other and back at her with confused/innocent looks on their faces. Disappointed, she sat down and told her palm pilot to take them to the replica Elfsburg. Destiny watched out of the corner of her eye as they shrugged in unison and returned to their previous activity. She sighed heavily. Just like her parents...  
  
The train slowed to a stop at the edge of town. The tracks were located on some kind of border, where one "world" melted into the next one. To the left sat the familiar snow covered buildings of Elfsburg. To the right, the snow quickly gave way to a sandy beach. Bernard nodded toward the ocean. "What's over there?"  
  
Merope shimmied her shoulders and struck a dance pose. "Party Town! Home of the New Years' celebration, Mardi Gras parade (although its not nearly as wild as its American counter part, it still gets kinda crazy), and anyone and everyone's b-days...Oh, the list goes on and on. There's practically a party every day!" She sighed with happiness. "I love that place."  
  
Bernard lifted his eyebrows and wisely chose to remain speechless. April, however, squinted at the horizon. "I don't see anything. Where is it? WHAT is it?"  
  
"Oh, it's out there." Destiny clasped her hands together. "It's a cute little island with exotic flowers and tropical music..."   
  
Merope copied her. "...And tons of non-alcoholic beverages and cute young waiters whose only job it is to please single young women..."  
  
Bernard made a face. "Well, I was about to suggest we go there for our honeymoon, but now that you've said that..."  
  
April grabbed his shirt and started hauling him toward Elfsburg. "Come on, now. Time's a wasting!"  
  
"Yes, Master! Ugh, I mean, Mistress..."  
  
Destiny waved after them. "Don't worry, Bernard. I'll take care of everything! You two go have fun!"  
  
"Oh, don't say that, girl." Merope shuttered again. "It creates bad pictures in my widdle innocent mind."  
  
"Innocent my butt. If you were really that innocent, you wouldn't get pictures like that, now would you?"  
  
"Shove off, Destiny. Just shove off."  
  
* * * *  
  
"BERNARD! I'M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU!" Curtis bounded over the hill and tripped, landing face first in a snow dune. He quickly hopped back to his feet and put his glasses back on his nose. Saying he looked distressed would be an understatement.  
  
This alarmed Bernard. "What's wrong, Curtis?"  
  
"Charlie wants to talk to you before you disappear. Hello, April, by the way."  
  
April waved.  
  
Bernard brushed some of the snow off his small friend's jacket, since the younger elf wasn't in the right state of mind to do it himself. "Did he say why, by any chance?"   
  
"Nope, but it sounded urgent." Curtis looked down at his jacket and frowned. "And you can stop touching me now. Thanks."  
  
Bernard promptly ceased the dusting. "Sorry." Man, he was beginning to feel like a parent. He'd been doing little things like that ever since he realized Destiny was his daughter.  
  
Curtis vaguely pointed behind him. "Charlie's standing at the entrance of the Workshop. He said it will only take a few minutes."  
  
"Okay, thanks." Bernard turned to April. "If you want to go home and wait for me, you can. I promise I won't be long."  
  
She looked like she would say something sarcastic, then changed her mind. "Which home? Yours, or mine?"  
  
Bernard shrugged. "Mine? Is that okay?"  
  
"Yes, honey. It is." She gave him a quick kiss, then started off without him.  
  
Bernard smiled after her, then turned back to Curtis. "So, how are you doing? How's your jaw?"  
  
Curtis winced as they started down the path. "Not broken, though it sure feels like it. Stupid robot."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I'm sorry to keep you from your honeymoon, Bernard." Charlie put his arm around Danielle. "But we talked your proposition over."  
  
The two exchanged a look and tried to hide their grins.  
  
Bernard lifted an eyebrow." And?"  
  
Charlie held out the coat. "Robe me, Head Elf!"  
  
"This is wonderful!" A relieved smile broke across Bernard's face, and he gladly helped Charlie into the robe.  
  
"I know Dad would have wanted it this way." Charlie tied the sash and put on the hat. "How do I look?"  
  
"Like the new Santa, Charlie."  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: I apologize greatly for the delay of this chapter. I had SERIOUS writer's block. But I think I'm all better now. I think...  
  
Well, I now have over 80 reviews! I want to thank everyone bunches, especially those who've reviewed more than once. Can I now get a hundred, or is that too much to ask? 'Cause ya know, that would just make me sooooooo happy! I would be perfectly content with a hundred reviews. So, please review! Tell me what you think. I want to know. *Big sparkling puppy eyes* Please? 


	12. Honeymoon Fiasco

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 12: Honeymoon Fiasco  
  
A/N, and Disclaimer: I wasn't going to write this, but Lorne wouldn't leave me alone. *He kept poking my cartoon alter ego with a wooden stake, it got really annoying!* Who is Lorne, you ask? Lorne belongs to the creators of the show Angel, which is the inspiration for almost everything I write. (In one weird, twisted way or another.) Okay? I do NOT own him. And as you already know, I don't own the SC charas. I own April, and Merope, and Destiny, and Maigri and Sarah. And Diana, but I got her from Greek/Roman mythology. (Kinda) The song "Such Reveries" belongs to Duncan Sheik. (I love Duncie! *squeeze* He's my MAN! Uh-oh, now Bernard's glaring at me...) Oh, and one more note on Lorne: This story is set about four years in the future. I'm pretending Angel ended before any of this happened. Okay?  
  
I really want to thank all my regular and semi-regular reviewers: (In no particular order...) Falconess (my best friend, who's been there forever), Hellcat the Wicked (Where are you, Hellcat? You haven't updated your story lately either...*Pouts*), CrystalHorse72 (Oh, I wanna join the Kitchen Utensils club...Can I have a toaster? I wanna bang Maigri over the head with it *wink* Or, must I review one of your stories? *And I will do more of that, one of these days, I promise!*), Jesus-freak (go Christians!), horse-girl (where are you, too? Have you lost interest?), and Nikki. Of course, I want to thank everyone, and encourage those one-time reviewers who still read when I update to please review again. Your support means EVERYTHING to me. Literally. I check my email every five minutes to find out if someone else has reviewed...I know, I need to get a life...But if I had one, I wouldn't write so much! *wink, wink* Okay, enough of this looooooong A/N...  
  
As always, enjoy!  
  
* * * *  
  
The serenity of deserted Party Town Island was interrupted when our lovely couple teleported onto the scene in a puff of glitter. Bernard glanced down at his clothes, horrified to find himself suddenly wearing a Hawaiian shirt and matching shorts. He looked over at his new bride, clad in a strapless, tight fitting blue dress. 'Well', he thought, 'at least she looks good. Then again, she looks good in absolutely everything.' Out loud, he grumbled, "I can't believe Merope talked me into bringing you here after all."  
  
"Oh, come on, Bernard. You know I have eyes only for you. I won't even see any of the cute waiters. See?" She put a hand over her eyes to block out the glare of the "sun" and pretended to search for them. Then she shrugged. "Oh, where are they? Huh, well, I'm not single so I guess can't see them."  
  
Bernard made a face and looked around the island. "Say, where is everyone?"  
  
April plucked a tropical flower off a nearby bush and stuck it in her hair. "Dunno. Maybe the place is deserted if there isn't a party going on. That means we get the whole place to ourselves!" She flung her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.  
  
He chuckled. "Whoa, let's check into the hotel first."  
  
They walked along the empty streets until they found the hotel, a Holiday Inn. Inside was just as deserted as the rest of the town. The couple roamed the rooms looking for employees, but found no one at all.  
  
They were just about to give up and go back to Elfsburg, when they wondered into the bar. There, behind the counter, stood a man in a loud orange suit. That in itself was kinda weird, but what was even weirder was his physical appearance. His skin was bright green, his eyes were blood red and he had two little red horns sticking out of his forehead. Yes, HORNS. The two guests just stared at him for a moment; with him staring wordlessly back at them.   
  
Finally, April moved forward. She ran up to the bar and spoke to him with awe in her voice. "Lorne? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was hoping you could tell me, Sweet Cheeks, because I have absolutely no idea." He laughed heartily, and suddenly he didn't seem all that freaky. "Can I get you a Sea Breeze? It would be Virgin, of course, because you are obviously under age. No offense."  
  
"How about a Strawberry Daiquiri instead?"  
  
"You got it, Crumb Cake."  
  
As Lorne set about making that drink, Bernard cautiously approached. "You two know each other?"  
  
"Not really," the man answered. "Or should I say, I don't know her. She probably knows me from the television show 'Angel'. I was a supporting character. But since the show ended a while ago, I've been out of work. (Never mind that I'm a fictional character, and shouldn't really exist... Weirder stuff has happened, believe it or not...) Anyway, this place is like Paradise for me, wherever it is."  
  
"Oh, you're on the moon."  
  
This seemed to be no surprise to him. "Well, its official. Now I've seen everything. I can die now, thanks." He handed her the drink with a smile.  
  
April sipped it and pursed her lips. "Um, Lorne, could I ask you a favor?"  
  
"No, I don't give out autographs, sorry."  
  
"No, not that! Could you read me? Please?"  
  
"That depends. Can you sing?"  
  
"Pretty well, I think."  
  
He pointed. "Okay, go up to the little stage and sing something. Anything. I'm not picky."  
  
April skipped over to the stage and adjusted the microphone. Bernard leaned over and asked very quietly. "'Read' her? What's going on here?"  
  
"When people sing for me, I can see things that trouble them. Sometimes I can see the future, but that normally doesn't turn out very well."  
  
Bernard nodded in understanding, then turned back to watch April sing her heart out.  
  
She took a deep breath and belted out the first thing that came to mind. It was Duncan Sheik's "Such Reveries".  
  
"You and I in the room with a balcony.  
You lie on the bed while I stare at the sea.  
I stare at the sea.  
Oh, such reveries.  
  
"We're riding the ponies in Mexico.  
The moonlight leaps the palm tree groves.  
Oh, wouldn't you know...  
We're in Mexico.  
  
"All of these things, all of these things  
They are such reveries, oh  
All of these things, all of these things  
They are such reveries.  
  
"The ocean waves loomed as large as could be.  
They threw us below but you held onto me,  
You held onto me.  
Oh, such reveries..."  
  
She took a breath to keep going, but Lorne cut her off.  
  
"Whoa, reign it in there, little Missy!" He motioned for her to come back and sit down. She did. "Have you ever taken lessons?"  
  
"I've had a couple, why?"  
  
"Wow. That's all I'm going to say." He adjusted his tie nervously. "So, you two just got married, huh?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I understand your misgivings about the rushed marriage. I assure you, you two will be fine." He patted her hand in a reassuring way. "But your concern about being a wife will pale in comparison to your concern about being a mother."  
  
Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, there's a very good chance you'll be pregnant before you even leave the island."   
  
"WHAT? BUT I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE DESTINY FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEARS!"   
  
He winced and shook his head at her reaction. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger, okay? You wanted to be read, and I read you. Its rarely pretty, sorry to burst your bubble. But you should already know that from watching the show. Besides..." He leaned in closer and whispered, "Who said you'd be having Destiny, anyway?"  
  
*Boink* "We have another kid? Why didn't Destiny tell us?" April felt as though she would pass out any second. She grabbed Bernard by the shirt collar and shook him hard, a deranged look lighting her eyes. "WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL US?!?"  
  
"Like holiday if I know, April!" He broke out her grasp and adjusted his shirt. "Maybe she doesn't know. Maybe in her time, she didn't have any siblings. Or something like that."  
  
Lorne started to make another drink. "Not likely. Time travel doesn't work in that way. She either knows about it, or it won't really happen." Lorne sighed. "Time travel is just a bad idea. Too complicated for mortal minds to comprehend, though we try. Oh, there was the time Angel suffered from a cruel twist in the fabric of the time/space continuum...And just when he became human too...I, of course-"  
  
Bernard fidgeted a little, and then belted out sarcastically, "Do you want to read me next, or are you going to tell us a little story instead?"  
  
"Hold your horses, there...Let me taste this first." He held up his drink and drained it in one gulp. "Okay, go ahead."  
  
Bernard barely got out half a verse of the old elfish folk song before Lorne winced and yelled for him to stop.  
  
"Was I that bad?" He looked to April for support. She enthusiastically shook her head, impressed by his hidden talent.  
  
"No, it wasn't your singing that's the problem. It's that glaring secret. And you don't even know the truth about the whole situation."  
  
"What situation?" The confusion expressed itself clearly on her face. "Bernard, what is he talking about?"  
  
Bernard cleared his throat. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but..." He threw a nervous glance at Lorne, who busied himself with making another Sea Breeze. "I haven't been totally honest with you, April."  
  
"What?"  
  
He took a deep breath. "I'm half human."  
  
"WHAT?" She almost choked on her own tongue.  
  
He started to explain, but Lorne cut him off before things could get ugly. "That's not really true, my fine elvin friend. You're half warlock. Big difference."  
  
"Huh? But my mother told me-"  
  
"It isn't hard to confuse the two. Trust me; you've got a lot of magic flowing through your veins. And I mean A LOT. More than the average, everyday elf, anyway." He finished making the beverage and held it out to Bernard. "Drink? You're gonna need it."  
  
He waved it away. "No thanks."  
  
"Suit yourself..." He glanced nervously over at the seething girl before downing the glass.  
  
April looked like she would explode. In fact, she did. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"  
  
"Well, it's a part of my past I don't like to talk about-"  
  
"Oh, I see. Thanks for lying to me. You said your father was a FOREIGNER!"  
  
"Technically, he was-"  
  
April screamed in rage, making both him and the green guy jump back. "ARGH! This is just wonderful! Just...JUST WONDERFUL!" Then she stormed out of the room, headed for who knows where.  
  
Bernard stared after her for a moment, before turning back to Lorne. "Can I have that drink now?"  
  
Lorne was already on it. "Don't worry about her, Gingersnap. She'll come around in about an hour."  
  
* * * *  
  
The sunset was beautiful. Too bad it was fake, caused by some kind of magic thing April didn't understand. She sniffed and rubbed her puffy eyes before yanking the flower from her hair and angrily tossing it in the ocean. She felt ashamed for blowing up the way she had, but couldn't bring herself to go back and apologize. Exasperated with herself, she ran her hands through her hair and grumbled, "If I'm this way now, I'll be simply intolerable when I'm pregnant. Stupid hormones."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I don't think you could get any more emotional."  
  
She looked up at Bernard. Somehow, he'd managed to sneak up on her. "Thanks, dear. Just what I needed to hear."  
  
He sat next to her and put his arm around her bare shoulders, hugging her close. "I'm kidding. I understand exactly why you're upset."  
  
"Oh you do, do you?" She looked at him, but his eyes stayed fixed on the ocean.  
  
"Yes, and I'm sorry. I should have been completely honest with you. I just didn't think...I just didn't think. Period." He finally locked eyes with her. "Forgive me?"  
  
She sighed. "Yeah, sure. I forgave you about ten minutes ago. It's just...Oh, forget it."  
  
"No, what?"  
  
She pulled her dress up to keep it from slipping any more and averted her gaze to her sandals. "Everything is happening so fast! Not even a month ago, you treated me like I was a piece of crap...Suddenly, we're married and we're going to have a child in probably under a year...I'm not really ready to be either a wife OR a mother. I'm still only eighteen! I thought I'd be at least in my twenties before any of this. And...I'm frightened, Bernard. I'm really frightened."  
  
He hesitated. "Well, we don't need to...You know...While we're here. We could wait."  
  
She shook her head. "Then we could be deleting someone from the timeline. I couldn't do that. This IS the life of our child we're talking about. That'd be like abortion...Only...Not...Exactly....?"  
  
"So what are we going to do?"  
  
She made a face. "You're asking ME? Like mistletoe if I know. I'm afraid to move forward AND afraid NOT to move forward. I'm so confused..."  
  
"Wanna go to the hotel room and chat until something happens?"  
  
"I guess..." He helped her up. "Not exactly a romantic way to get started, is it?"  
  
"Not really, no." They walked in an uneasy silence for a while. Finally, Bernard put his hand around her waist and drew her close to him. "Why don't I tell you the story of my Pre-Head Elf days in its entirety? That way, we don't have another fight like that ever again."  
  
"Sure. Go ahead."  
  
He barked a brisk laugh. "Good thing we have a whole month...This will probably take a whole week to explain."  
  
"Hey, I'll make popcorn...It'll be just like a movie marathon!" She leaned into him, suddenly greatly relieved of the anxiety that had been building since her Lorne read her. This would be okay. It would all be okay.  
  
* * * *  
  
Twelve hours later, April fell asleep. Right in the middle of...His storytelling...He should have been perfectly content to stay there with her (and he was), but his Mistress kept calling to him. He had to go back to work! April would mind if he just popped back into the Workshop to see how things were running. Or so he told himself.   
  
He left a note on the dresser and hoped she wouldn't kill him when she woke up and discovered him gone.  
  
After briefly taking a shower and attempting to find normal clothes (and failing miserably; every article of clothing he packed somehow morphed into Hawaiian print EVERYTHING), he opened the door to quietly sneak out into the hallway before teleporting. He jerked back as he practically ran into Merope, who had raised her fist to knock and came very close to hitting him. She had on a dress just like April's, only orange.  
  
She quickly put the offending hand behind her head and smiled innocently. "Oh, hullo! Having fun?"  
  
"What the-" He lowered his voice to a whisper and hastily shut the door, unable to keep himself from getting just a bit annoyed. "Why are you here?"  
  
"There's something that requires your attention back at the Workshop. It's really REALLY urgent, or you know I wouldn't have come here. Let ME be the last one to interrupt you on your vacation. Oooh, no! And you can let your wifie know that it's all my fault, okay? I won't tell her that you were sneaking out on her." She winked at him and nudged him in the gut.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her and rubbed his side. "How'd you get here, anyway?"  
  
"I FLEW!" She held up the other hand, which she'd been keeping behind her back. In it rested a sleek, black handled broom. "I needed to get in some practice. (I've been a little rusty lately.)" She giggled in a very uncharacteristic way and added with an excited scrunch of her nose, "When this is all over, I'm going to join the Halloweentown Quidditch team! I hear they need a new Beater." She made a motion similar to hitting a tennis ball with a racket.  
  
He smacked his forehead. "So do you want to fly back, or are you going to come with me?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. Party pooper. "Okay, let's go."  
  
Three seconds later, they found themselves at the Naughty and Nice Center. (And back in their normal clothes.) Abby ran up to him, waving her arms violently. "Children are dropping off the map, Bernard!"  
  
"What?" He looked at the giant globe, and sure enough one light blipped out. Then another. And another. And you get the picture. "Why? Is it malfunctioning?"  
  
"No, Its not. We already thought of that." Charlie wheeled out from under the control panel.  
  
Most people present gasped.  
  
"What?" He looked around nervously. "Do I have grease on my face?"  
  
"No!" Abby pointed. "Your hair! It's too soon for it to be turning grey like that! It hasn't even been a day! Oh, that's gotta be a record."  
  
He ran a hand through his now steely grey hair and snorted. "We have more pressing matters right now, don't you think?"  
  
"I guess you're right, sorry."  
  
"So what's going on?" Bernard walked around the center and checked a couple of readouts. They confirmed that the children were just disappearing.  
  
"Well," Maigri popped out of nowhere. "I have a theory, if anyone cares to hear it."  
  
"What?"   
  
"They're asleep." This was met with quite a few snorts of disbelief. "I'm serious. Those Consumer things captured the Sand Man ALIVE. Maybe whoever is behind this did so with the intent of putting all the people of the world into a deep sleep to interfere with our magic somehow."  
  
"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Merope applauded him. "That's exactly right. This means we don't have much time. We need to start evacuating the other places before they too fall victim to this invisible menace... (Oh, that sounded WAY corny!)"  
  
"What other places?"   
  
She counted them off on her fingers. "Halloweentown... Bunnyland... Ireland..."  
  
"Ireland?" Everyone exchanged confused glances and raised eyebrows with everyone else.  
  
She waved their questioning looks away. "You get the picture."  
  
"How long do you think it will take?" Charlie asked, just a bit dejected.  
  
"Well, if we split into teams...One week? At the most? I hope, anyway. Normally, Destiny makes these kinds of calculations."  
  
So much for Bernard's honeymoon. "Where is she, anyway?"  
  
"Oh, she's taken Charlie's place at the big Council meeting, so he could stay here and work on our little problem. They're taking role to find out who's gone, and discussing what they should do next. Hopefully, they'll be done in an hour or so. That is, if they don't start fighting for one reason or another." She frowned and realized she still had the broom in her hand. She stuck it behind her back and it disappeared into thin air. "Until then, there's nothing we can do."  
  
Charlie sat down on a conveniently placed stool. "Then I guess we'll just wait for her to return."  
  
And wait they did. They waited, and waited, and waited, and...Checked their watches every thirty seconds...Looked at the disappearing lights with mounting concern for the other thirty seconds...  
  
Finally, forty-five minutes later, Destiny returned with Curtis at her heels. She made a show of wiping the sweat off her forehead, and then cleared her throat. "Okay, guys, I have teams drawn up. I will go with the Easter Bunny to Bunnyland and evacuate his numerous family members. Merope, Bernard, go to Halloweentown with Aggie. Maigri, Cupid."  
  
"Oh, boy, this will be fun." Maigri mumbled sarcastically.  
  
Destiny ignored him. "And Curtis, go with St. Patrick. Okay?"  
  
"Yay, I get to go to Ireland! Whoo-hoo!" He did a little wiggly dance. Everyone rolled their eyes.  
  
She turned to Charlie. "Do you think you can handle things without elf supervision?"  
  
He gave her a 'look'. "I think so, yes."  
  
* * * *  
  
"'Dear April, I had to go back to work. I'm really sorry, but it was an emergency. Love, Bernard.' Why that JERK! Emergency, my foot. I knew he couldn't stay away...I just knew it. He loves his stinkin' job more than me!" She crumpled the paper angrily and tossed it over her shoulder. Then she crossed her arms and pouted. "When he gets back, I'm going to THROTTLE HIM!"  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Don't you just love cliffhangers? Am I evil or what? Mwa-hahahahaha *snort* Oooh! Oh, I must say, this chapter didn't turn out anything like how I had planned it. Oh well. Say, can I get some reviews? I would like 96, please! (I'm sorry, but I won't post more until you meet that quota. Come on, has everyone lost interest, or what?) What do you think? Am I off my rocker with this chapter? Its okay, you can be honest with me.  
  
One final note: I just want to tell everyone who wondered that the elves don't seem to be mourning much because they're used to loosing a Santa every once in a while. They know that they need to move forward. Bernard was upset too, but he hid it well.  
  
Now REVIEW! Please? 


	13. Merope's Mistake

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 13: Merope's Mistake  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: To CrystalHorse72: I think you misunderstood one point in the last chappie, so I would like to clear it up. CHARLIE was the one with grey hair, not Bernard. That's because he already started the 'Santa-fication' process...*Smiles mysteriously* But that's all that will happen to him! I happen to love a young man with premature grey hair...Dunno why...Okay forget I said that...*blushes*  
  
Here's a little of the Halloweentown side of my fic for y'all. I thought I'd develop Merope's character a bit more. I know you love Bernard, but he won't be the main focus of this chappy. Sorry. Now, enjoy.  
  
* * * *  
  
"This is so exciting! I've never been to the REAL Halloweentown before!" Merope twirled around and sucked in a deep breath of crisp, damp, eternally fall air.  
  
"You haven't? Well, that's a shame!" Aggie shook some random stranger's hand and smiled warmly before turning back to Merope and Bernard. "I love it here. But I'm biased, since it IS my home. I just hate to be the one to tell everyone they must move. Most of them have lived here all their lives!"  
  
"I could do it." Bernard volunteered.  
  
"No, no, no. You're a stranger to them. It would only serve to make them angry, and the last thing we need is an angry mob on our hands. I must do this." She fidgeted with the edge of her cloak nervously. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "But I don't necessarily need to do this alone. I want to introduce you two to my granddaughter."  
  
She started off in a new direction with speed surprising for her age. Bernard looked at Merope, who shrugged and followed Aggie.   
  
They came to the exact same shop Bernard visited his first time in Halloweentown. Inside, a woman in her twenties with dark brown hair done up in a sloppy bun stood on a ladder, putting miscellaneous items on a high shelf. The shop seemed otherwise deserted. Aggie rang the bell on the counter and grinned at the woman.   
  
"Grandma, you're back! How was the meeting?" She hopped off the ladder and dusted her hands.  
  
"Not very good, I'm afraid. But I'll get to that in a minute. I have some friends I'd like you to meet." Aggie gestured for them to come closer. "This is Bernard, and Merope. And this is my granddaughter Marnie."  
  
They shook Marnie's hand, although Merope seemed slightly hesitant about it. In fact, her whole demeanor changed. Normally overly self-confident, Merope now looked quite shy. She hung back behind Bernard and kept her eyes locked on Marnie.  
  
Aggie looked around the otherwise empty shop. "Where's Luke?"  
  
"Upstairs, trying to make Jackie take a nap."  
  
"Yeah, 'TRYING' being the keyword here." Marnie's husband, Luke, descended the stairs with a hyper two year old in his arms. "This little thing never runs out of energy!"  
  
Bernard almost laughed out loud. Luke looked so much like Merope, it was almost scary. They had the same nose, the same eyes, the same ears... The same went for Jackie. But was really funny was the baby's tiny braid, flung over one shoulder. So, these were Merope's parents. Funny how she never mentioned them.  
  
"Ah, Luke! I would like to introduce you as well. This is Bernard, and Merope. They're good friends of mine."  
  
Luke shook with his free hand, then made a face. "Merope, huh? That's my mother's name."  
  
"What a coincidence!" Merope laughed nervously and smoothed out her skirt. Her eyes drifted to the child in his arms. "Oh, what a cute baby! Can I hold her?"  
  
Bernard DID laugh out loud. It quickly turned into a hacking cough, as Merope glared at him. But how many people get to hold the baby version of themself? It was a weird sight. His whole life had been weird like that lately.  
  
Suddenly, Aggie was all business. "Marnie, I need your help."  
  
"What with?"  
  
"We need to convince everyone to abandon Halloweentown."  
  
"What? No! Why?" Marnie's eyes flashed with anger.  
  
"Something terrible happened at the North Pole, and if we don't leave right now, the same will happen to us."  
  
"No. I won't stand for it. We can fight it off!"  
  
Aggie gripped her shoulders tightly. "No, Marnie. We must leave. It would be futile to try to fight! You must believe me."  
  
"But...This is our home!" Marnie choked back sudden tears. "Where will we go?"  
  
"The moon, believe it or not."  
  
She made a face. "The MOON? You've got to be kidding." Aggie stayed silent. Marnie threw up her hands. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"  
  
Aggie smiled. "Good girl."  
  
* * * *  
  
"What? Is this some kind of joke?" Someone from the crowd asked.  
  
"It's no joke. We must leave immediately!" Aggie, Marnie, Merope and Bernard stood on a hastily thrown together platform next to the giant pumpkin in the town square. "Bernard's home was completely destroyed; ours will be too. Whoever's behind this is a powerful magic user."  
  
"More powerful than Marnie?"  
  
Marnie blushed and cleared her throat. "More powerful than perhaps the great Merlin."  
  
Worried whispers rushed through the crowd. Things like, "But no one is more powerful than Merlin!" could be heard coming out of everyone's mouths. Finally, someone yelled, "Where will we go? We can't return to the Mortal World."  
  
"I'm glad you asked. I will open a portal to a secluded area in the mortal world where we will all board special crafts that will take us to our new home. I assure you, it will be exactly like our home now. Nothing will be missing or out of place. In fact, you'll hardly be able to tell that it's not THIS Halloweentown."  
  
There were some murmurs of disbelieve. Marnie was about to say something, when her eyes clouded over. She grabbed Aggie's arm. "Something's coming!"  
  
"Took the words right out of my mouth dear." Aggie turned to the crowd. "It's coming now! There's no time left. You can come with us, or stay here and fight a loosing battle."  
  
The ground began to shake. Terrified, the crowd began to panic.   
  
"Hurry, let's call the portal!" Marnie held out her hands and began to recite the spell with Aggie, when the platform regurgitated two Holiday Consumers on either side of her. They grabbed her arms and disappeared as quickly as they appeared.  
  
"Marnie!" It had happened too quickly...There was nothing she could have done... Agatha turned to Merope. "Help me call the portal!"  
  
By the time they did successfully call up the portal, Holiday Consumers were popping out of the ground like demon weeds. They either grabbed citizens and disappeared, or started setting fire to nearby buildings. The crowd stampeded through the portal, pushing and shoving like their lives depended on it. Which they did.  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard leaned back in the co-pilot's chair and sighed. "Well, that didn't go as well as I would have hoped."  
  
Behind him, Luke was having a fit. "What are we going to do about Marnie? We hafta get her back!"  
  
"Calm down, Luke!" Aggie touched his arm gently. "Marnie's a big girl. She can take care of herself until we can help her. Besides, we don't even know where they took her."  
  
"But..." With the sudden realization that she had been captured, he sat down hard.  
  
"We will figure that out as soon as we get everyone settled into their new homes. Okay? Don't give up hope."  
  
Bernard felt a sudden pain in his heart. What if they had captured April? Would he still be able function? No, he would completely fall apart. Considering that, he thought Luke was doing rather well. He turned to Merope, who still had the baby in her arms.   
  
"I was such a cute kid, wasn't I?" She laughed, but her heart obviously wasn't in it.  
  
Bernard fidgeted with the ship's controls a bit, before asking, "Are you okay, Merope?" He always hated asking girls about their problems... Why was it so hard? One would think he'd be used to it, being married to the ever-emotional April.  
  
She shook her head and spoke in a thick whisper. "And all this time, I thought Mum had left us. Dad always refused to talk about it, so I figured she'd hurt him really badly. I didn't know...I feel like such an idiot now. I hated her, even though it wasn't her fault!" Her younger self reached up and touched her face, which caused her to loose it completely. So, she had a soft side too, after all. "We'll never get her back! It's been over thirty years and they still haven't been able to rescue her! She's probably dead."  
  
Bernard didn't respond. He had a feeling saying something like, "Gee, Merope, I'm awfully sorry" would only make it worse. In a few seconds she'd collected herself and he was incredibly glad he hadn't said a word.   
  
"But if she isn't dead, I will personally rescue her." Merope stood up and handed the baby back to Luke. "I would like to introduce myself properly... My name is Jackie Cromwell."  
  
Bernard twisted around in his seat to get a glimpse of Luke's reaction. It was very much like the reaction he had had upon finding out Destiny was his daughter. Luke's mouth fell open and he made a couple of squeaking noises before becoming alarmed and skeptical. "You're Jackie? As in this Jackie?"  
  
The baby giggled. Merope nodded. "I'm sorry I waited to reveal my identity. I wasn't going to do it at all, but I figured it can't do any harm now. Since I already exist and everything."  
  
He looked at baby Jackie, then back at Merope. Yep, there was definitely a resemblance. "I...I don't know what to say, Jackie..."  
  
"Then don't say anything, Luke. And call me Merope. It's my code name so you can talk about either of us without getting me confused with the baby." She sat down next to him and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm going to be honest with you. I always thought the Mother had left us, and my father would never talk about what happened."  
  
"You mean...Is she dead?"  
  
Merope shook her head. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure. If she isn't dead, I promise to rescue her myself. No matter what it takes."  
  
* * * *  
  
Marnie didn't know where she was, except that judging by the acoustics, it must have been a huge room. The air felt icy, dead. The floor under her feet seemed to be solid stone. But other than that, she was clueless to her location. The two androids still kept a firm hold of her. She tried to escape, but not only were they incredibly strong, but they were impervious to her magic. It frustrated her.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like at least an hour, but was probably only a matter of minutes, torches on the wall flared to life. She glanced around, but nothing she saw would help her in any way. But being able to see gave her new hope and she actually managed to break free of the robots. She didn't get more than ten feet, however, before an invisible force threw her against a wall...Right into manacles that closed painfully around her wrists and ankles.  
  
Someone applauded her. Dazed, she looked for the source of the sound. A man in a dark cloak appeared right next to her, still clapping. A hood obscured his face. He spoke in a warped voice, "Well done, Marnie. I commend you on that lovely performance."  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?"  
  
"The world, what do you expect?" He pulled back his hood, causing her to gasp. It was her old rival, Kal. He smirked evilly. "And you, of course." Then he kissed her.  
  
She wrenched her head away from his grasp and growled. He found this extremely amusing. "Oh, dear Marnie, you're so beautiful when you're angry. You know that?"  
  
"Keep away from me, Kal."  
  
"Um, how about no? I have the control here, I'll give the commands. And I command you to join me."  
  
She laughed. The whole room echoed with her cold, bitter laughter. "Get real! I would rather DIE than join you in your evil quest."  
  
He chuckled at her bravado. "Oh, but Marnie...You don't have a choice..." He held up a necklace with a glowing red cat eye, set in a frame of some unknown, twisted black metal. It seemed like an evil sun on a chain, radiating dark energy. (Man, I know that sounded lame :P Forgive me!)  
  
Marnie's blood ran cold. "What is that?"  
  
"Oh, just a talisman...Empowered with the life forces of a hundred demons." He smiled that oh-so-bad half smile. "I made it just for you..."  
  
She tried to use her power, but something blocked it. Only then did she realize she couldn't stop him. Could her will power stand up to his dark magic?  
  
* * * *  
  
A stab of pain shot through Aggie's head. She gripped the wall for support and waited for it to pass. Then she looked at Merope. She nodded; she'd felt it too. Then she turned to Luke, and knew what had happened.  
  
"It's Marnie, isn't it?" He asked her.  
  
She nodded, looking grim. "Something terrible happened to her."  
  
"Is she dead?"  
  
"I don't know. I just don't know."  
  
A heavy silence settled in the room. Bernard finally broke it when he announced that they were about to dock.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Good job, Bernard." Destiny smiled warmly and waved at the Halloweentown citizens as they boarded the train. "You're dismissed. Tell April hi for me."  
  
"I need to talk to you. NOW." He grabbed her arm and rudely yanked her off to the side.  
  
She wrenched her arm away from him. "Can't it wait? I'm kinda busy here!"  
  
"No, Destiny. It can't wait." He lowered his voice to keep from shouting. "Why didn't you tell me you have an older sibling?"  
  
"Oh..." She grimaced and looked around for a distraction. Finding none, she pushed some dirt around with the toe of her boot and laughed nervously. "Uh, you didn't ask?"  
  
He gave her 'the look'. "That's a bit important, don't you think?"  
  
"Not really... It wasn't vitally important for you to even know who I was. In fact, THAT was supposed to be a secret."  
  
He made a motion indicating that he wanted to strangle her, then managed to calm his temper. After a moment, he leaned in and asked very quietly, "Boy or girl?"  
  
"Boy."  
  
"Name?"  
  
She winced. "Can't tell you. Sorry."  
  
He growled.  
  
She held up her hands defensively. "Hey, I'm sorry, but you told me not to...Kinda...Well, Dad did, but... Since you ARE Dad, it still counts..." She trailed off weakly under his withering glare.  
  
"You know, Destiny, sometimes I really hate being your father." And with that, he threw his hands in the air in frustration and walked off. The only thing left for him was to go confront his wife, the angry lioness. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their reunion, for once.  
  
Destiny blinked a couple times in confusion then turned, shrugged and trotted over the bridge spanning the Council Castle mote, toward Merope. The older girl had undone her long braid, and the beautiful copper hair danced around her in the artificial wind. A shadow fell across her face as she stared unseeing into the crystal clear water. Destiny noticed this, and slowed her pace. She turned to leave, understanding instinctively that Merope needed some time alone.  
  
"I was wrong, Destiny." Merope called in a thick whisper. Destiny stared at her quizzically. "Mother hadn't left us after all. She was TAKEN from us. And I will get her back, even if I must venture into the depths of Hell to do so."  
  
Her hands clinched into fists at her sides.  
  
They stood in silence for a long moment, before Destiny nodded briskly to herself. "You can't do it alone, though. I won't let you."  
  
Merope looked away. "I don't want you involved in this."  
  
"Too bad!"  
  
"NO! I don't want to loose you too..." Suddenly, the wall she worked so hard to build crumbled around her. She collapsed to the ground. Tears flowed freely down her cheek and onto the grass, as a flood of memories overwhelmed her.  
  
*Flash*  
  
"Daddy, why don't I have a Mom like Chris and Merry?"  
  
"She's gone..." Her father fell strangely silent. Tears threatened to spill out his eyes, but he didn't let them.  
  
"Is she dead?"  
  
He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "No, honey. She...She's... I don't know. Please don't ask me about it."  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't mean to make you upset..." Suddenly, a thought popped into her ten year-old mind. 'If she's not dead, but she's gone, she must have left! But how could anyone leave their husband and kid like that? Oh, she must have been terrible! This is all her fault! SHE is the reason Dad's so depressed...Oh, one day, I'll make her pay...'  
  
"Excuse me..." Luke left, shutting the door behind him. Leaving Merope alone in her now very dark thoughts.  
  
*End Flash*  
  
"How could I be so STUPID?" She grabbed handfuls of grass and tore them out of the dirt. "I didn't even know any of the details! I hated the woman for no damned reason!"  
  
"Oh, Merope!" Destiny fell onto the grass and put an arm around her friend's shoulders. "It's okay! You know now, that's all that matters. You can fix this."  
  
Merope sniffed. "You're right. I can. I will. But..." She looked Destiny in the eye. "You were also right when you said I couldn't do it alone. You're my best friend. Without you, I... Thanks."  
  
"I'll always have your back, girl." She gave Merope a light squeeze. "Cause we're a team!"  
  
Merope smiled slightly and brushed the tears from her eyes. "That's right. A team. Forever."  
  
"Now, come on...Let's help Aggie get the Halloweentown citizens settled in."  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: I don't know what exactly happened here, but this chapter evolved beyond what I had originally planned. I would have written more but a little thing called college started again. I'm sorry, but that is more important than my fics. ('Cause that's my LIFE! This is my hobby.) Don't expect another for a while. But I would gladly appreciate it if you reviewed! Just comment on something, I don't care what it is...(Although constructive critism is nice. *smiles*) If you do, it might just speed my writing right along. I want 105! Please? I'm trying to keep up the eight reviews per chapter requirement. But once you do gimme 105, I apologize if I don't immediately post. College is a demanding li'l monster! It eats up all my time *cries*  
  
And speaking of college, one of my professors looks just like an older version of Destiny! It's creepy! She makes the same facial expressions, and sounds just like her, and even kinda has the same hair cut (but it's not curly). That makes things more interesting. I just pretend Destiny IS giving the Art History lecture. *wink*  
  
I just want you all to know I'm currently thinking of extending the length of Holiday Crisis, just so I can develop everybody (and the plot) more. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Please tell me! And once again I apologize for how long it's taking me to write more. 


	14. Can't We All Just Get Along?

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 14: Can't We All Just Get Along?  
  
A/N: Has anyone ever noticed that the head cheeses here at ff.net are IGNORING our pleas for a SC category? Come on, folks! Let's try it again, shall we? Who's with me? *silence...Sadly, my audience is gone* Oh, crappy...  
  
Oh, yeah, and to Mystica: I'll answer your question about time travel - They have no idea what to really believe about it. They want to think they can change it, but I personally think it's set in stone. And you're absolutely right about Merope being one of Diana's handmaidens. She's trained under the woman, at least. Sorry but Scott and Carole aren't coming back. Charlie is the new Santa and Danielle his Mrs. Claus. Don't worry, though, he'll be the best EVER! After all, he was made for the position. Thanks for taking so much interest in my ficcy. Please review again, I really enjoy your comments.  
  
Okay, now to everyone: ENJOY!  
  
* * * *  
  
As the shuttle docked, Destiny and Merope stood waiting at the gate to receive the refugees from Cupid's home dimension, Eros. The two girls couldn't have appeared more different if they had been drama masks.   
  
"I don't know what you see in that jerk, Destiny." Merope frowned rather bitterly.  
  
Destiny fidgeted with the hem of her red dress, slightly displeased by her friend's jealously. Merope didn't like to share Destiny with ANYBODY. "You just don't know him as well as I do. He's really quite sweet."  
  
*Snort* "Sure. And I'm a fairy... "  
  
The first person walked through the portal. Or should I say RAN HYSTERICALLY through the portal. It was, of course, Maigri. Before Merope could finish what she was in the middle of saying, Destiny squealed and ran to him. She flung her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're back!"  
  
"...princess." Merope rubbed her eyes and sauntered off, knowing she wouldn't be missed.  
  
"Ugh, Destiny, get offa me!" He grabbed her at the elbows and held her at arm's length. "Are you CRAZY? Or just plain stupid?"  
  
Fear and confusion were obvious in her dark eyes. "Wha...? Maigri, I thought we were good now..."  
  
He shook her, albeit gently. "No, we're not 'good' now. And we never will be. Got that?"  
  
Tears filled her eyes. "But, Maigri....I don't understand..."  
  
"Then I'll put it nicely. GET. LOST." He dropped her and stalked off, mumbling something not nice at all.  
  
She sat there with wide, unblinking eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to stare after him long after he had disappeared. "Why?"  
  
"Don't take it too personally, girlie." Destiny whirled around to see Cupid hovering over her. "Your father was the same way with your mother when he began realizing he'd fallen in love with her. Give him time, he'll come around."  
  
She wiped the tears away and stood up. The weight of this statement hit home. "You mean...?"  
  
He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I told him I'd gotten him earlier, and that's when he got so ticked off."  
  
"So we ARE destined to fall in love?"  
  
"Duh! He's just not used to being in love with anyone but himself. He's a very narcissistic little elf, if I do say so myself. Just a wee bit full of himself." Cupid barked a laugh and soared off before Destiny could ask any more questions.  
  
Destiny put a hand over her heart and smiled. "I just need to have faith and patience. The day will come that he won't fear loving me any more. Until then, I can wait."  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard stood at the door to their hotel room, unable to will himself to turn the door handle. He could hear her crying softly inside.  
  
"Why don't you come back, Bernard? Was it really so important? Couldn't you just be happy... here with me?"  
  
He felt his heart break all over again. She didn't deserve this. He took a breath and pushed the door open.  
  
April was a mess. Tangles matted her tight curls; her eyes were red and puffy. She lay in bed as though she hadn't moved in the three days he'd been gone. She stared through him like she couldn't believe he was really there.  
  
The look in her eyes paralyzed him. He cringed under her gaze and managed to choke out, "Hi. I'm back."  
  
Suddenly, she snapped. "HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE!" She chucked a large pillow in his direction. It missed by a long shot. "GET OUT!"  
  
*Random sound effect: a cat screeches, sputters, and hisses.*  
  
At the look of rage in her eyes, he promptly removed himself from the room. He heard a click; she had just locked him out. Stunned, he slid down the wall onto the floor. "Well, I'd say that went well."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I'm so glad somebody was here to see me in..." Curtis smiled warmly at Judy, who'd closed shop early so she could greet him.  
  
She blushed ever so slightly. "Oh, no problem! So, how was your trip to Ireland?"  
  
He scrunched up his nose. "It was weird! I thought we'd see some humans, but no! All the people I talked to were shorter than I am. It made me feel strangely tall."  
  
"Ah, I love the leprechauns. They're so... Oh, what's the word I'm looking for?"  
  
"Brash? Greedy? Drunk? Perverse?"  
  
She nodded in reprimand, and supplied the right word. "Festive."  
  
"Yeah, well, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of them than we ever would have before the Great Holiday Crisis." A particularly rude short man pushed Curtis out of the way, almost knocking him down. Curtis readjusted his glasses and frowned. "Now, wether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know..."  
  
* * * *  
  
"April, please let me in!"   
  
"No, just go back to your beloved job and leave me alone!"  
  
The couple sat on either sides of the door, and had the door been suddenly missing, they would have been back to back. April pounded the door angrily, feeling drained and groggy. She hadn't eaten in days, so her mind was really foggy.  
  
Bernard sighed and looked up at the ceiling. 'Remind me again why I'm in love with her?' The answer came not from his head but his heart. He shook his head. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No you're not. You promised!"  
  
"It really was an emergency! Ask Merope!"  
  
"Ask me what?" Merope's voice made him jump. He gasped and glared at her, mouthing 'where have you been?'  
  
"Oh, don't think I'll fall for that! I'm not stupid, Bernard! I see right through you! I won't fall for any more of your LIES!"  
  
A look of understanding crossed Merope's face. She leaned against the door. "He's telling the truth, April. I called him away so we could go evacuate Halloweentown."  
  
"Bah! Tell me another one!" April laughed with starved craziness.  
  
"This is stupid." Merope muttered. She turned to Bernard. "You got any tinsel on ya?"  
  
He dug in his bag and produced a handful of the red and green shiny stuff. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?"  
  
"Sure am!" She ran the tinsel through the metal hinges, then the door handle. "I'll pay for it later, okay?" She then drew out her golden sword and used it as a lever to pry open the blasted door. Under her breath, she muttered, "Lorne's gonna kill me for this..."  
  
The door burst open, revealing a terrified April. She shrieked, "What the HOLIDAY is going on here?"  
  
Merope resheathed the sword, and it disappeared. She placed her hands on her hips and announced, "I deem you sick, April Sully. You need to go to a doctor to be monitored."  
  
"What? No way! I'm FINE!" April started backing away from the taller girl, but didn't get very far. She tripped on the blanket she was holding and fell backwards. Merope seized her wrist and started dragging her out of the room.  
  
"Nuh-uh. This is not debatable. You need to get some medical help."  
  
"Are you saying I'm crazy? I'm not crazy! I'm not, I swear! Really! AAaaaaaaaargh! Bernard, I'm sorry...Please, help meeeeeeeee!" Despite April beating her arm, Merope continued to drag her away.  
  
Bernard stood up and stared dumbfoundedly at them as they rounded the corner. He made no move to help her, realizing it was for the best. She wasn't right in the head at this moment. Wow, his wife was suffering from temporary insanity...  
  
* * * *  
  
April shoved the plate containing the barely touched peanut butter sandwich to the side and groaned. "I told you, I'm not hungry...I'm nauseous!"  
  
"Nonsense, dear girl. You feel nauseous because you ARE hungry. So eat it!" The nurse, a friendly goblin lady (who was in fact Merope's Granny on her father's side) picked up one half of the sandwich and held it in front of April's face. April turned away in disgust. "Come on, now...Don't make me grind it up and put it in your IV bag."  
  
'They wouldn't do that, would they?' "Fine!" She snatched it away from the poor woman and bit off a chunk of it. With her mouth full, she said sarcastically, "Mmm, I feel better already!" and purposefully sprayed the nurse with bread crumbs.  
  
The goblin woman patted the girl's shoulder and smiled down at her. "Good girl. Now, make sure you eat every last bite. I won't leave until you do. And drink all your pop too."  
  
April made a face she hadn't seriously made since she had been five, and bit off another large chunk of the sandwich. "Yes, Mommy. Every. Last. Bite!"  
  
Two minutes later April had successfully stuffed the whole sandwich in her face, and the nurse patted her on the back. "Okay, now I think I'll leave you alone with your husband to patch things up." Of course, she had to say that when April was getting a drink of Coke. She promptly spit it all over her flimsy hospital blanket.  
  
"NO! I can't face him! Please, don't let him in... I was such a jerk...I-" She held out her arms pleadingly, but it did her no good. The other woman left, and was promptly replaced by a fidgety Bernard. His eyes were downcast, and he held his hands behind his back like he normally did at work.   
  
He shuffled and looked up at her sheepishly. "I wanted to apologize..."  
  
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "He wants to apologize! Well, don't Bernard. Just don't."  
  
He gave her a confused look, but said nothing.  
  
"I am the one who needs to apologize. I completely overreacted. I understand that sometimes emergencies pop up at work (especially these days) and I was being selfish in expecting you to ignore whatever it was. Forgive me?" She held out her hand.  
  
He looked down at it and smiled. "You know, when I wrote that note I there wasn't an emergency. Then something really did pop up. But I had had the intention of sneaking off, and for THAT I must apologize."  
  
She shook her head to herself. "Okay, then, we're even. Let's live and let live, shall we?"  
  
He nodded briskly and shook her extended hand. "Forgive and forget." They both looked around in an awkward silence. Finally, Bernard pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. "This being married business is a lot harder than it seems, isn't it?"  
  
"I told you it would be, but did you listen?" She grinned.  
  
He took her hand, his voice taking on a soft and serious tone. "I'll just work harder at making time for us."  
  
"And I'll work harder at letting you go." She looked down, not wanting to look into his aching eyes anymore. "It's just that I wish we could be together all the time..."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I think you've had enough, buddy." Lorne leaned on the counter and eyed the rather drunk elf in front of him wearily.  
  
Maigri slammed down his glass, causing the ice to rattle rather loudly. He looked at the green demon with a slightly unfocused gaze and slurred, "I'll tell YOU when I've had enough, man. And I want another frappichino, so give it to me!"  
  
Lorne set about making another drink. He shook his head. "You shouldn't drink your troubles away. They get worse with the hangover. Trust me on this. Now, if you would, I'd like to read you."  
  
"No way. I do NOT sing. It's a sad day when this elf sings, indeed." Maigri chopped through the air with his hand with every word for emphasis. Lorne followed the movement of Maigri's hand with his head, the wild gestures making him slightly dizzy. "The world would fall completely apart and I'd end up in You-Know-Where before I ever sing for anyone. I don't even sing in the shower, for Christmas' sake. There's...Just no way. No."  
  
Lorne just smiled faintly and handed him the next frappichino. Who knew elves responded to coffee as though it were alcohol? He learned something new every day, by golly. No wonder elves only drank cocoa. "I think you'll change your tune soon, cupcake. This one's on me."  
  
Three drinks later, Maigri stood up in front of the microphone and tapped it. "How do I turn this thing...? Oop, there. I got it." He leaned in, toward the device. "What should I sing?"  
  
"Whatever comes to mind, creampuff. Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle' for all I care." Lorne waved dismissively and took a sip of his Sea Breeze.  
  
He looked around the room, now beginning to fill with various types of people. None of them were paying the slightest attention to him, though. He swayed slightly on his feet and a large grin broke over his face. "You have so many relationships in this life; only one or two will last. You go through all this pain and strife, then you turn your back and it's gone so fast. Oh, it's gone so fast....  
  
"Mmmbop doobie dop, ba da do-whop, ba doobie dop ba da. Mmmbop doobie dop ba da, yeah yeah..."  
  
Lorne winced and cut him off before anything else could come out. "That's enough! Get back over here and shut up."  
  
Maigri wobbled back over to the bar and sat down on the stool.  
  
Lorne leaned on the polished surface of the bar top and looked Maigri in the eye with all seriousness. He spoke in a grave tone, "You're right. It IS a sad day when you sing." Then he straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "'Mmmbop'? Why in the name of all that's good and proper did it hafta be 'Mmmbop'? Yeesh!"  
  
Maigri frowned. "It was all that came to mind. So, what do ya say?"  
  
Lorne gave him a sideways look and raised an eyebrow. "Girl troubles?"  
  
Maigri slumped over, seeming to deflate. He suddenly felt a lot more sober. "How'd you tell?"  
  
"Your choice of song, for one... And that's what I do. You've got seriously bad vibes right now. You should just accept the fact that you're in love with her and go with it."  
  
"But... She's half human!"  
  
Lorne rolled his eyes and made a rude noise. "What does that matter? I'm a demon, but that doesn't mean I'm a monster. You're an elf, but that doesn't make you something special."  
  
Maigri glared daggers at him. "I used to be a prince, thank you."  
  
Lorne laughed harshly, "Sure coulda fooled me. You sure don't act like a prince."  
  
The elf looked down into his drink. "Yeah, well, I used to be."  
  
"Here's some advice: Stop living in the past. It's over and there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is move forward. And let me tell you, you've got a pretty lady in your future. But you'll be miserable if you don't give in to your feelings. What's so wrong with being in love, anyway?"  
  
Maigri didn't answer, as he was asking himself the same question.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Your bunnies keep leaving eggs all over our clover fields!"  
  
"Yeah? Well, there are clovers in my carrot patches!"  
  
The Easter Bunny and St. Patty stared unblinkingly at each other from across the table. The electricity in the air was thick enough to cause a thunderstorm.   
  
Cupid scratched his leg absent-mindedly. "My cherubs are antsy because there's nothing to do."  
  
"There's NOTHING to do here, with Earth in a perpetual sleep!" The Tooth Fairy ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed.  
  
Someone blurted out, "I wish Santa were here."  
  
All eyes darted Charlie's way. His face was emotionless, and his voice had an equally emotionless, yet deadly tone when he finally spoke. "I AM here. Deal with it."  
  
No one dared to say anything else. Charlie stood up and circled the long table slowly. His eyes had changed. No longer were they soft and full of warmth, they now seemed cold and empty. He looked everyone in the eye before he spoke again. "We need to cast our differences aside and learn to work together."  
  
"Easier said than done," Cupid mumbled. Charlie stared hard at him, sending chills down his spine. The love god held up his hands defensively.  
  
"As for having nothing to do... We have each other, don't we?" All the Legendary Figures glanced at each other, confused. "We are supposed to be a community, aren't we? It's high time we act like one then." He paused long enough to look at every one of them again. Then he pressed the tips of his fingers together and continued pacing. "At Christmas, I will visit everyone's homes. During Easter, the Easter Bunny will put eggs in everyone's yards, and so forth and so on... Until we can wake up the inhabitants of Earth. That will encourage our citizens to act as a community AND give everyone something to do."  
  
He sat down again and continued drawing on his notepad like nothing had happened.  
  
Aggie clasped her hands together and smiled. "Wonderful idea, Santa! I second that motion."  
  
The Easter Bunny's ears sprang back up as he pondered that idea. "Let's vote on it, shall we? All in favor of celebrating our various holidays amongst ourselves say 'aye'."  
  
All in the room chorused, "Aye!"  
  
The corner of Charlie's mouth turned up ever so slightly.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: *Wipes sweat off forehead* Boy, that was like pulling teeth. I want to thank my good friend Drakelah for inspiring me to keep writing on this thing. I have about nine chapters left, but I will finish it! I swear!  
  
I want to shout out a call for some fan art! I wanna see how other people view my characters, so if you can draw and have a scanner, send me your HC pics! I'll be sure to put them up on my website and give you credit for whatever you send me. Just remember to keep it to a Disney decency, okay? Thanks, everyone! I love you all!  
  
Please read and review my new original story at FictionPress.net entitled "Ka Warriors"! It's in the Mythology section.  
  
And as always, please review! Reviews keep me going. Thanks a bunch! 


	15. Into The Future

Holiday Crisis  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
Chapter 15: Into the Future  
  
* * * *  
  
"He's so beautiful..." April drew a deep breath and pressed her fingers to the monitor. Inside a dimly lit bubble floated a tiny, shapeless form. "So beautiful."  
  
She looked up at Bernard, who stared unblinkingly down at it in dumb-struck silence. Seeing that he was practically in shock, she next looked to Destiny. The younger girl giggled and shook her head. "That's him all right. That's my big brother. Ugly, ain't he?"  
  
"Destiny! Watch your tongue! He's still got some developing to do. That's all." She gave Destiny a loving raspberry and turned back to stare at her tiny child.  
  
Bernard finally blinked, and looked down at his wife with an extremely vacant look in his dark eyes. "We're going to have TWO children."  
  
"Quick one, isn't he?" Nurse Merope Sr. moved the device in her hands so they could get a closer look at the embryo. "Definitely up to par with the situation. Yep." A machine next to her beeped, and she turned her attention to a paper it spit out. She read it carefully. "Hmm, just got back the DNA analysis, if you care to know anything."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with him, is there?"  
  
"Well..." Destiny started, but April cut her off by smacking her shoulder rather forcefully.  
  
The nurse put on some reading glasses and examined the document more clearly. "Oh, no. No, not at all."  
  
"Is he part elf?" Bernard finally snapped out of his trance.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not." Bernard's face fell slightly. Only Destiny noticed, but she chose not to say anything. "He's... Half warlock? Is that correct?" She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in a way very similar to the Merope did when she thought someone was a bit off. (It must have been genetic.) Bernard licked his lips and nodded. "And part human."  
  
Destiny rolled her eyes. "I could have told you that...."  
  
"Funny, though, you didn't." Bernard stared at her sternly, making her cringe. He still hadn't forgiven her for withholding information about her brother. She grew quiet, her bubble of happiness thoroughly popped. He reminded her of her stressed-out, uptight father more and more every day, and she hated it.  
  
She felt a surge of emotion well up within her suddenly, and she turned away to prevent them from seeing the tears form in her eyes. She fought to keep her voice steady as she excused herself and bolted from the room. As an unexpected panic overcame her, she ran blindly down the hallway and out into the light. Orange and red leaves whirled around her in a blur, the shops and houses of the Halloweentown section of Holidayopolis became mere streaks, passing by unnoticed. She ran to the outskirts of town, where the shops melted away to be replaced by dark, knargled trees condemned to forever loose their dried leaves. There, she collapsed, exhausted from running. She kicked and screamed until the tantrum had worn off, leaving her simply tired and empty.   
  
From the silence that followed her outburst, she simply lay there on the cold wet earth. Somewhere off in the distance, a crow cried and took flight. The sound of rustling feathers filled the heavy air for a moment, and then... Nothing.  
  
Then it dawned on her. "I want to go home." The words came out in an inaudible whisper. Louder, she repeated it. "I want to go home, don't I? I WANT TO GO HOME!" Another wave of panic hit her and she fell into another fit, caused by all the emotions she hadn't let herself feel before. "I want to return to my own time where my parents aren't my friends, and my brother isn't a little amoeba thing, and Maigri's nice to me, and all I hafta worry about is what kind of grade I'm making in Math class!" She pounded the ground with her fists in something close to total hatred. "This world's all screwed up! I wish things just made since again!"  
  
She calmed once more and sat up. She laughed nervously and wiped a tear out of her eye. "I'm being silly, aren't I? But at least I'm getting this out now instead of around anyone. They think I'm this cheery girl all the time, but I... I'm so lonely..." She wrapped her arms around her and sniffed. "I've never been away from home for so long before. Sure, this is home, but it's not the same."  
  
The silence set in again. It was a cold and indifferent silence.  
  
Her communicator beeped, making her jump in fright. She pulled it out of her bag and turned it on, and was stunned to see who it was. "Daddy?"  
  
"We need you here, Destiny." That was it. No "Hello, doing well?" or "Are things settling down there yet?"   
  
"Now?" She was stunned. This was like an answer to her prayer, but so soon? She'd meant like in a week or something, not right that second.  
  
"You have one day." He hung up.  
  
* * * *  
  
"You don't need to do this, Santa..." Diana leaned over the computer console to watch the pair of feet sticking out from under it. "I could have figured it out on my own."  
  
Charlie crawled back out long enough to grab a miscellaneous tool. He smiled that charming smile at her and returned to work. "I'm sure you could have, Diana. I'm just doing what I can to help out."  
  
She crossed her arms and pouted jokingly. "Always the nice guy, aren't you, Mr. Calvin?"  
  
"Careful, there," he laughed. The sound was muffled under the console. "I AM married, you know."  
  
"And I have pledged to live my life in eternal celibacy, so there." She smacked on her gum and blew a large bubble that miraculously didn't splatter all over her face when it popped. She watched him for a few more minutes in silence before speaking up again. "So, this thing is supposed to do what?"  
  
"Shouldn't you know? You built it, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes... But I just followed the directions, really." She brushed a strand of silvery-blond hair behind her ear. "I'm an outdoors kind of woman, not well up-to-date with technology."  
  
He looked up at her, confused, and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He licked his lips. "Well, who wrote the directions?"  
  
She hesitated. "Uh, you did, actually. You in the future, that is. With the assistance of the wise elf Curtis."  
  
His brow furrowed. "You mean to tell me, Curtis and I designed this whole complex by ourselves? Just the two of us?" She nodded. He considered this for a moment before going back to work. "Stranger things have happened, I guess. After all, we did build space ships once upon a time."  
  
She tugged at the dog whistle around her neck distractedly. "How long exactly have you been surrounded by all of this magic?"  
  
"Since I was six, I think. I don't really remember, it's been so long. It's in my very blood, my very soul. Dad used to tell me I'd make an even better Santa than him, simply because it's been a part of my life since practically the very beginning."  
  
"That and your naturally sweet disposition." She nodded and smiled, though he couldn't see her.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere, you know." He finished the job and snapped the panel back on, and then wiped his face with a towel. "Now, let's see what this thing can do, shall we?"  
  
* * * *  
  
"I'm concerned, Bernard. She ran out in such a hurry..." April and Bernard left the main road into town, heading toward the forest. She took his arm. "I think you upset her."  
  
He threw his hands up in disgust and rolled his eyes. "What did I DO?"  
  
"If you don't already know, you probably never will." April cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Destiny, where are you?"  
  
Out of the semi-darkness she hobbled, shoulders slumped over in a very uncharacteristic way. She held up her hand weakly. "I'm right here. You don't hafta yell."  
  
"Oh, Destiny, you look terrible!" April ran to Destiny's side and put her arm around the girl. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Father called," she huffed. "He wants me to go home. Says it's urgent." Never mind that five minutes earlier she'd wanted to go home so incredibly badly. They didn't need to know that.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
Suddenly, April became aware of all the things she hadn't had the chance to do with her future daughter. There wasn't enough time! "But...No! This is too sudden. You can't just leave!"  
  
"If it's urgent, it's urgent, April." The two girls looked up at Bernard with dismay in their eyes. "She needs to take care of her own, and since we've got things under control here, she should go. As much as it may..." He paused. "Hurt."  
  
"Oh, Bernard, I'm so sorry!" Destiny flung her arms around his neck and hugged him as she would her *true* father. "I really, really want to tell you so much, but I can't! I would get into so much trouble back home. Please, please forgive me!"  
  
This outburst caught him totally off guard. He awkwardly patted her back. "It's okay, Destiny. I'm not mad anymore. I forgive you, really." He shot April a cat-in-the-headlights look. She only smiled in response. Finally, he held her at arm's length, but his eyes and voice were comparatively softer. "Does Merope know yet? Is she even going with you?"  
  
"No, and yes." She rubbed her puffy eyes. "I need to find her and let her know. Soon. Would you two help me find her?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
* * * *  
  
So, in great sadness, the whole gang had gathered together to see Destiny and Merope off. Okay, so it wasn't the whole group... Charlie and Curtis were working on setting up computer equipment in Council Castle, Judy had her shop to run, Sarah was off with her boyfriend somewhere, and Aggie had to perform her duties as mayor of Halloweentown. But Bernard, April, Luke, and (surprisingly enough) Maigri had shown up to bid them goodbye. Luke was still a bit creeped out by seeing his baby stand before him as an adult, but the initial shock had worn off a while before. He shook her hand somberly, "Take care of yourself, Jackie."  
  
"I will, don't worry." Merope looked to Destiny, who had tears glittering in her eyes. "Are you ready?"  
  
*sniff* "I guess."  
  
"Oh, wait, Destiny." Bernard reached into his bag. "Charlie wanted me to give this to you, with regrets that he couldn't say goodbye in person." He pulled out the infamous snow globe and handed it to her gently. "He said he no longer needs it, and that you clearly did. Whatever he meant by that."  
  
"Thank him for me, please." She grasped the object with both hands tightly. "I'll really miss all of y-"  
  
She was interrupted as a portal opened up before them. A bolt of lightning flashed through the air, and they disappeared.  
  
* * * *  
  
Bernard slowly became aware of two things: He lay flat on his back in a pool of some cold liquid, and he had a huge headache. He opened his eyes, but couldn't see a thing. "Where am I? What happened?"  
  
Then a face swam into view. A young man, about sixteen, stood over him. It shocked him to realize that this boy looked almost exactly the same as he did when he was that age (in human terms). The kid waved his hand over Bernard's face. "Are you okay, Dad?"  
  
"Dad?" He repeated and attempted to sit up. He felt dizzy and nauseous, and had no idea where he was, how he got there, or what was going on in general. He squinted at the young man. "Do I know you?"  
  
He frowned and helped Bernard get off of the table he landed on. He surveyed the damage, which he guessed could have been a lot worse. "Oh, you're not Dad. You're too young to be my father. So who are you?"  
  
"I'm Bernard. Who are YOU?"  
  
The boy pursed his lips. "I'm not sure I should give you my name. You must be my father from the past, and I don't want to give you any info that might erase me from the timeline or something."  
  
Bells went off in Bernard's head. He pointed in awe. "You're my son, aren't you? The son Destiny didn't tell me about."  
  
"Figures she wouldn't mention me." He picked up a broom and after rolling his eyes and sighing over-dramatically, started sweeping up broken glass. "It doesn't really matter now, 'cause I guess I've already come into existence. My name is Chris; I am your son." 


	16. What Happens Now?

Holiday Crisis  
  
By: Shmeilia Rockie  
  
Chapter 16: What happens now?  
  
* * * *  
  
"My name is Chris; I am your son." The words rang in his ears, drowning out all other thoughts. This was the same tiny creature he'd seen on the computer screen earlier that morning. Except he stood in front of Bernard as a (seemingly) sixteen year-old boy.  
  
Chris took no heed of Bernard's stunned expression. He threw the broom in the corner of the room and shoved his hands self-consciously into his pants pockets. "Come on, I'll take you to the Head Elf. He'll know what to do with you. Coz I sure as holly berries don't."  
  
He jerked his head in the direction of the door. Then Bernard's brain decided to work again. He pointed at the kid. "But I am the Head Elf."  
  
"In your time, maybe," he responded in a tone he'd heard himself use when getting impatient with naughty workers.  
  
"So, what? Did I get fired or something?"  
  
*Snort* "Hardly." Before Bernard could question Chris any farther, he called out, "Hey, Maigri!"  
  
"Maigri? Maigri's the Head Elf now? How many cookies did he hafta bake?" He'd sworn within an inch of his life he would never let Maigri get his job. What had happened?  
  
Chris sneered at him, but said nothing more. He walked up to a guy with platinum blond hair, slicked back, who was dressed from head to toe in black velvet. He clasped him on the shoulder, "Maigri, need to talk to you?"  
  
The guy turned and looked at Bernard. Bernard raised his eyebrows? "Maigri?'S that you?"  
  
"No, it's the potty fairy." A grin broke over Maigri's face and he clasped Bernard's hand. "How you doin' old pal?"  
  
'Old pal'? Bernard smiled weakly and returned the handshake. "What happened to you?"  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked sincerely. Gone was the sarcasm, the icy glares. This Maigri had an almost... jolly... look in his eyes. It was so weird, and disturbing.  
  
Bernard held out his arms and searched for the right thing to say. "You've lost weight, man. And I mean, A LOT of weight."  
  
He nodded and said knowingly in somewhat bad French, "Ah, oui, j'ai maigri.* Quite fitting, non?" There was that creepy smile again. Maigri didn't smile. Period. He didn't smile, he didn't shake hands, and he didn't call Bernard 'pal'. They were mortal enemies, for crying out loud! So what was going on? He felt like he'd entered the 'Twilight Zone'. "Anyway, I guess you'd like to see everyone else."  
  
"Everyone else?" Bernard raised an eyebrow and looked at Chris. Chris shrugged like this sort of thing happened every day, like he didn't give a crap about any of it.   
  
Maigri led Bernard up the stairs and into the Conference Room, while Chris sauntered off to wherever at a leisurely pace. (They were in the Workshop, btw.) Every eye turned toward Maigri, and he announced, "Father Time will be here shortly to explain things. He's in a Council meeting right now." And as he was closing the door, Bernard did catch the pleased look Maigri flashed Destiny, as well as the blush that crept across her face in return.  
  
The second the door clicked shut, the Maigri Bernard knew so well pounded his fist on the table and roared, "I want to know what the deal is with that... That... IMPOSTER! That is not me. That is not ME! He's so pale, and-" He made a disgusted face, "-thin! I mean, that's unhealthy! And what's with the Goth look? Huh? I tell you there is something not right going on here-"  
  
April stomped on his foot. "Oh, just get over yourself!" Then she ran to Bernard and flung her arms around him. "I don't know what's going on! I'm so confused!"  
  
"Me too," She looked at him with large eyes. He shrugged. "But you heard the imposter, Father Time will explain things. Soon, hopefully."  
  
He looked around, taking stock of who was in the room. April, Destiny, Maigri, Merope and Luke. Everyone who was present at the time of the opening of the portal now sat in cushioned swivel chairs, each displaying a different degree of confusion and/or wariness. Except for Merope, who never seemed to be phased by weird stuff. She entertained herself by rolling a pen off the end of her rather long nose, attempting to balance it.  
  
Bernard sighed and led April back to her chair, and took the empty one next to her. He looked at her and asked non-chalantly, "You okay?"  
  
She nodded. "I woke up in a pile of teddy bears. There were elves staring at me. I panicked. But I'm okay now. Sort of. I guess." She trailed off, and her eyes dropped. She hooked her hands around her middle, betraying her true feelings. "I'm worried. What if something happens to him while we're here?"  
  
"I met him," he told her quietly.   
  
Not quietly enough, however. The pen rolled off Merope's nose and onto the floor. "You met Chris?"  
  
"Merope!" Destiny shot her a poisonous look. "Shut it! Before you spill the beans to EVERYONE!"  
  
April searched Bernard's eyes for any hint of untruthfulness. "So... You met our baby?"  
  
A smile crept onto his face. "Well, he's not really a baby. More like sixteen."   
  
"Thirty-two" Destiny coughed. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, and she cleared her throat. "Excuse me, must have choked on my own spit there." Maigri made a face, and Merope snickered. Bernard and April ignored her.  
  
"Sixteen? I feel really weird now. My own son's almost the same age as I am." She ran her fingers through her copper-colored hair distractedly, until a thought popped into her mind. Her eyes lit up. "When can I meet him?" Bernard shrugged. She turned to Merope. "You said his name is Chris? Is that his real name or his codename?"  
  
"Oops, can I opt not to answer that question?" April shook her head and stared at her expectantly. Merope's eyes darted around, looking for a good excuse to change the subject. Being able to think of nothing useful, she laughed. "Oh, look at that. I dropped my pen. Lemme get that..." She dived under the table.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. He'd been just like her at that age. Wait a minute! 'When he was her age?' Suddenly, he felt really old. What had happened? When did his two year-old become eighteen? The idea made him feel a little sick.  
  
Before he could dwell on it any more, the door opened.  
  
In walked Father Time, flanked by a war-hardened Bernard, and Charlie, aged thirty years. The same thing crossed all minds (sparing Luke) in the room: Charlie looked so much like his father, it was scary. The three of them stared at the assembled group, and the group stared back. After a few seconds, Father Time sat in the Head Chair. "I suppose you wonder why you are here."  
  
"You could say that, yes." Maigri grumbled and crossed his arms defensively.   
  
"I will be frank with you. Your arrival here was a fluke, a mistake. Normally I would say that you should not be here, but these are perilous times." He looked up at the older Bernard.   
  
Bernard leaned forward, resting his knuckles on the table. "We stand on the edge of disaster. Whatever happens next could determine the fate of Earth indefinitely. Even if this incident was a mistake, it was no accident. You will be the key to winning this war once and for all."  
  
"No pressure," Luke quipped. Merope and Destiny smiled, and April actually laughed. The three in charge stared sternly at them.  
  
Bernard -the younger one- got back to business. "What's happening back home? I mean, who's in charge?"  
  
"Curtis." Charlie answered simply. "And I'm still there."  
  
"How long will this take?"  
  
Father Time looked up toward the ceiling, making the calculation. "Two weeks, five days, seven hours, and twenty-three seconds."  
  
"Great." Bernard took off his hat and threw it on the table. He ran his hands through his hair then pressed his forehead against the edge of the table. "Not like I didn't have things to do, or anything." April rubbed his back.  
  
"I think this is more important." His older self stared down at him with exasperation. "You WILL end this war."  
  
"For you," he retorted, sitting back. "But then we'll go home and put up with it for thirty more years."  
  
"Oh, go cry me a river. See if I care." The two engaged in a staring contest for a tense moment, until the older Bernard turned his gaze to Father Time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with Uncle Sam regarding fireworks production." The elderly man nodded, giving him permission to leave. So he did.  
  
"So, why ARE we here?" Destiny asked.  
  
"Ah, now, THAT is the question." Father Time smiled and held his finger in the air. He pulled a file folder out of his cloak and slid it over to her. "Agatha is missing. We have reason to believe she decided to attempt to rescue her granddaughter, and was captured. We need you and Merope to go on a mission to recover her."  
  
Destiny read over the information. "Hmm, I see. I don't blame her for growing impatient. Nonetheless, that wasn't a smart move on her part. Always have a buddy, I say."  
  
"Well, while they're off doing that, what do WE do?" Maigri asked bitterly.  
  
Charlie shrugged. "Hang out? You can go to Party Town Island, there's always something to do there."  
  
Maigri snorted, feeling that was not the answer he'd wanted.  
  
* * * *  
  
"So when do you leave?" April sipped her pina collata (non alcoholic, of course) and pursed her lips.   
  
"Tomorrow evening. I've gotta go to a briefing tomorrow morning, so tonight I'm chillin'." Merope answered and swiveled on the bar stool.   
  
"I understand. Where's Destiny?"   
  
"At home. You know, spending time with the family."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"And speaking of family..." Merope trailed off, as Chris ran in carrying a guitar.   
  
Chris weaved his way around crowded tables, ignoring the people as they greeted him. His eyes were bloodshot, April noted. He trotted up to the bar and threw some money at Lorne. "The usual."  
  
"One Black Cow, comin' up." Lorne threw some chocolate ice cream into a glass and filled it with root beer. He slid it over to the boy. "Are you going to bless us with your gift this fine evening?"  
  
"Plan on it." Chris drained the glass in a few quick gulps and left the ice cream to melt. He approached the stage, and people cheered.   
  
"Thank God," Lorne whispered. "Things have been so slow lately. Nobody believes in Open Mike Night any more."  
  
Chris pulled over a stool and placed his guitar in his lap. He adjusted the microphone in front of him. "How's everybody tonight?" People clapped. He smiled. "Good to hear that. Now, I dunno about you, but I'm feeling pretty crappy right now. So forgive me if my first couple songs are a bit angry. I'll just play my way out of it." He strummed a couple cords. "Any requests?"  
  
All girls shouted out song titles, some of which April knew, but most she did not. He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. One at a time. Here, I'll pick the first one." He began playing.  
  
"For so long my life's been strung up tight inside your hold  
  
And it leaves me there without a place to call my own  
  
I know now what shadows can see  
  
There's no point runnin' unless you run with me  
  
It's half the distance through the open door before you shut me down  
  
Again...  
  
Now let me introduce you to the end..."  
  
April's eyes widened in recognition. "That's Chris, isn't it?"  
  
Merope nodded a dreamy look in her eyes. "Sure is. Ain't he great?"  
  
"And I feel the cold win blowing beneath my wings  
  
It always leads me back to suffering  
  
I will soar until the wind whips me down  
  
Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again.  
  
"So tired now of payin' my dues  
  
I start off strong but then I always loose  
  
It's half the distance before you leave me behind  
  
It's such a waste of time..."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, there. Chris." Lorne waved his arms to get the boy's attention. He stopped playing. "Could you please sing something else? Something, I dunno, happy?"  
  
"What's happy?" Chris smiled lopsidedly. "Seriously, I'm not in the mood for happy right now, Lorne."  
  
"I know, but I've gotta listen to your angry aura anyway, so spare me some sanity. Sing something Disney. Anything. How about... 'A Friend like Me'."   
  
Chris made a face, but began playing anyway.  
  
"He sounds like an angel!" April leaned forward, entranced by his beautiful, velvety voice. It didn't matter what he was singing. It could have been the Barney song and she would have loved it.  
  
"I know!" Merope sighed heavily.  
  
"I trained him," Lorne said, leaning on the bar top. "Taught him everything I know."  
  
"No wonder he's so good, Lorne." April patted him on the arm. "You've trained him well."  
  
"Yeah, but boy is that boy full of angst. He's so angstful it's disturbing. Every time he does this, he gives off these 'I'm gonna hurt something' vibes. Like any minute he's going to switch on over to the dark side, or something." Lorne shuddered. "But singing gives him release, so hopefully he never will. Hopefully."  
  
He didn't sound convincing, though.  
  
* * * *  
  
Chris flopped down on his bed, several hours later. He felt a bit better, but the earlier fight still echoed in his mind. It wasn't even over something important, for crying out loud. But his father's words still hurt.  
  
"Why don't you pull your weight, instead of playing in your lab all day? Can't you do anything productive?"  
  
Like alchemy isn't productive. Nobody appreciated his talent, he thought. No body appreciated him, period. So what if he couldn't use a sword? He wasn't a fighter, but did that mean he wasn't good at anything?   
  
He rolled over onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head. It shouldn't bother him, but it did. He hated fighting with his father, yet they fought practically every day. Maybe they were just too alike to get along. Possibly. No. Definitely not. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.  
  
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he felt another presence in the room. He opened an eye to see who it was, and -to his surprise- found that he was no longer in his room. His covers and pillows sat on a floor of cold stone. He sat up and looked around, but couldn't see a thing. A thick darkness surrounded him. "What's going on? Where am I?"  
  
"You," answered an unfamiliar voice. "Are in the Dark Dimension."  
  
He whirled around to face the owner of the voice. "Who are you?"  
  
The man walked closer and removed the hood from around his head. He smiled warmly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "My name is Kal. And I've brought you here because I need you." He shook Chris' hand, somewhat against the boy's will.  
  
Chris made a face. "What do you need ME for?"  
  
"You practice alchemy, do you not?" Chris nodded, but continued staring at Kal like he was diseased. "You see, my Co-regent has been complaining about the rate at which she is aging, and I know for a fact that you could easily remedy that problem. Would you? Please?"  
  
The teen shrugged. "I guess. Do you have a lab?"  
  
Kal grinned, showing off two rows of perfect white teeth. "The best in the world, my friend. Let me show it to you." He put his arm around Chris' shoulders and led him through a curtained doorway. "I think you'll be very impressed."  
  
"Okay, if you say so."  
  
"Just trust me on this."  
  
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Why should I trust you? I don't even know you."  
  
"That's right," Kal said with a chuckle. "You don't. But hey, what have you to loose?"  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, I dunno if this qualifies as a cliff hanger or not. I was just ready to get this chapter over with. It's been uber difficult to write, and I dun't know why. This was just a weird transition chapter, so I apologize. The next one will be better.   
  
*Maigri's sentence translates= Yes, I've lost weight.  
  
Maigri's name comes from the word maigrir, meaning "To loose weight". 


	17. Crossroads

Holiday Crisis  
  
Chapter 17: Crossroads  
  
* * * *  
  
For the first time since probably his tenth birthday, Chris grinned a grin that stretched from ear to ear and back again. This alchemy lab made his look like a kid's chemistry set. It wasn't just a room with sparse chemicals on a table, it was a LAB. Scruffy elves and strange androids ran around in white lab coats and goggles, trying to figure out the trick to the strange pseudo science that was alchemy. They were obviously not getting anywhere, either. It took a specific kind of person to make battery acid and grape soda into an elixir that would make someone immortal. Not just ANYONE could do it.  
  
But Chris could.  
  
"I can't believe this! It's incredible!" The boy could barely contain his joy. It radiated off of him.  
  
"Told ya," Kal said and smacked Chris on the back, making him stumble forward. "Now, go show them how it's done."  
  
He didn't give it a second thought. He clapped his hands together and called for everyone's attention. "Hello guys, I'm Chris Sulley."  
  
"Hi Chris!" All elves smiled and waved at the newcomer.  
  
He waved back. "I've come here to give you guys a hand. I know just a little bit about alchemy-"  
  
Kal cut him off. "Ah, don't be modest, Chris. I've heard you're the best there is!"  
  
"I don't know about that... But I've been doing this since I was about fifteen, so I'm confident in my abilities. So, who wants to make some elixir?" He was answered with several enthusiastic whoops. "Alright, then. Let's get started, shall we?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Curtis pushed a couple buttons on the wall panel and pressed his finger tips together. "Okay, girls. I've adjusted the portal to take you to the Dark Dimension. But be careful; the last group that went in there never came back."  
  
Merope and Destiny tensed up visibly. Nobody knew what had happened to E.L.F.S. Squad 51. They vanished without a trace. And no one wanted to find out, either. So no one had gone after them. The Dark Dimension was an evil, tricky place. Several groups that went there came back as babbling lunatics; others came back with severe amnesia. With the disappearance of the last group, no body wanted to go in. That was the last straw. And yet, here the girls were, about to leap into the unknown.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
They nodded, albeit reluctantly.   
  
"Please come back in one piece." He pushed one final button, and the portal's liquid like surface turned a foreboding red. Curtis nodded at them, fighting to keep his facial features neutral. It hurt to think they might not make it back. "Godspeed."  
  
They walked into the goo and were whisked away. Curtis shut the portal behind them. His shoulders slumped, his face fell. "Take care, you two. Take care."  
  
* * * *  
  
"It's so nice of you to take us into your home," April said to the older version of herself with an awkward smile. "I don't know what I can do to thank you."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it," the other waved and continued wiping the countertop with a rag.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help? I don't want to be a burden."  
  
Her older self lifted an eyebrow at her. "You're my GUEST, dear. I said don't worry about it. Sarah should be coming in any minute to help with laundry-"  
  
"Sarah's here?" April gave a yelp that startled the older woman. "I can't wait to see her! How is she?"  
  
"Oh, same old, same old. She's out on a date with some former Maigri slave. There's been a flood of them since he turned all his loose. Lots of fresh meat, as she says."  
  
"Maigri. Turned his slaves loose. Ha, that's a good one."  
  
"No, seriously. He let them all go a couple years ago, saying he no longer wanted nor needed them. I think it's 'cause M- ur, Destiny - told him how wrong it was. And Lord knows he hangs on her every word. I wish she'd open her eyes and see how smitten he is with her. It's so obvious! But I guess she's still too young to be in love anyway. She just seems like she's so much older than what she is... She's so mature for her age, don't you think?"  
  
April fought the urge to roll her eyes. She sounded just like a mother... Any minute she was expecting to see some embarrassing baby photos. "Oh, sure. Definitely."  
  
"Both of them are rather mature. Especially Chris, just as long as he's not around his father. Bernard seems to bring out the worst in both the kids, and I have no idea why. I think he's being a tad bit hard on them, but he only does it because he cares. You know Bernard."  
  
"Oh yeah, I do."  
  
The two of them stared at each other in awkward silence, and then burst out laughing. Her older self reached over the counter and patted her shoulder. "You know, I plumb forgot you're me! Isn't that sad?"  
  
April nodded in agreement, but couldn't verbally answer for laughing so hard. It might not have been that funny, but man was it absurd.  
  
In the middle of their laughing fit, the door burst open. "April, I gotta tell you about Sam! He's sooo hot-" The young woman stopped and looked at both of them. She made a face. "Boy, this is strange. April, you keep some weird company."  
  
April's brow furrowed. This girl had to be in her early twenties. Her French braided hair was longer than Merope's, and she had familiar grey eyes. She knew this woman, but she couldn't quite put a finger on which she was. Then it clicked. "Sarah?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You're... Older. What happened?"  
  
"Oh, that." She waved. "Bernard cut me back on the elixir, just like he did the rest of this family."  
  
This was news to April. But at least that explained why her future self and Bernard's future self looked like they were in their early forties. Sorta. "Okaaaay. Whatever."  
  
After the familiar strangeness passed, Sarah walked over the island and sat on a stool next to April. "So, how are you?"  
  
Oh, girl. Always putting others first. "A little nauseous. Somebody should get my baby a watch, 'cause he doesn't realize Morning Sickness should only occur in the morning."  
  
Sarah chuckled. The older April's eyes widened. "Be thankful. Chris was a good baby. Unlike Destiny. Lemme tell ya, she was a kicker. Wouldn't let me get ANY sleep. Day or night. But I'll tell you the secret to dealing with her: Hot cocoa. Does it every time. It's the elf in her."  
  
"Got any tips for dealing with Chris?"  
  
She closed her eyes and thought about that. Then she chuckled to herself. "Nope, sorry. That information is classified."  
  
"Oh, come on!"  
  
"Nope, sorry! Can't do that. You'll just hafta figure out on your own."  
  
"In other words," Sarah translated with a laugh, "there's no hope for you!"  
  
April playfully smacked her on the arm. "Shut up, you!"  
  
* * * *  
  
"That is simply amazing," Kal told Chris and patted him on the back in a fatherly manor. "You know, they've been working on that for years, and then you just came in here... What did that take you, thirty minutes? Verses thirty years? I should have asked you here years ago."  
  
Chris put a cork in the golden vial and handed it to Kal. He waved, "Oh, go on... It's no big deal. I've been doing it since I was, like, ten or whatever."  
  
"I'll make sure Marnie gets this right away. She'll be very pleased." Kal stuck it in a pocket inside his robe. Then he looked around in fake nervousness, leaned in toward the boy, and whispered, "Say, how about I make you a proposal."  
  
Chris' brow furrowed. "What do you have in mind?"  
  
"Come with me." He led Chris back into the room in which he had first appeared. He had some of his lackeys light torches so the room wasn't as dark as the vacuum of space, then told them to make themselves scarce. When they were finally alone, Kal spoke the words that would forever change Chris' life.  
  
"Join us."  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, this time, it really IS a cliff hanger! I know, it was really short. I'm sorry. I was gonna write more on this chapter but then I decided, hey, this is the perfect place to end it. So I did. I hafta keep y'all wanting more, or there'd be no point in going on. R&R, Pwease. 


	18. Falling From Grace

Holiday Crisis  
  
Chapter 18: Falling From Grace  
  
A/N and/or Disclaimer: As my good friend Drakelah once said of HC... "Will the cross-overs ever cease?" I mean, first Halloweentown, then Angel, a little Stargate (try to find it, I dare you) and now the Labyrinth? I don't own any of it, and that includes SC. I DO own Garz and Zarg. They are mine and only mine. I also own the other characters that cannot be found in any of the things I don't own, but I'm using in this fan epic. There ya go. *smiles* Enjoy!  
  
* * * *  
  
Destiny stepped onto bare dirt and stopped. When Merope popped out of the portal, she bumped into the girl. "Hey, move outta the way, would ya?" Then she looked up, and found herself staring in much the same manor. Before them loomed a giant Gothic castle atop a steep mountain with a labyrinth winding around it. The black sky held no clouds or stars, or birds. Nothing, it was a blank slate, devoid of anything. The trees around them were bare and gnarled. Life seemed to not exist in any form. The wind howled ominously.  
  
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Destiny looked at her best friend with worry in her eyes. She didn't notice how Merope clung to her arms.  
  
"Yep. We are." Merope let go of Destiny, only to rest her hands on her sword hilt. She set her jaw. "But we must do this."  
  
Destiny pointed toward the maze. "Do you see that thing? We'll never get through it! We'll be wondering lost forever!"  
  
"You exaggerate." She felt as though they might be too, but began walking up the path anyway. "It'll take us twelve, thirteen hours, tops." Merope kept walking until she came to an iron gate. She shook it, and when that didn't work, she took a handful of tinsel out of her pocket and ran it over the hinges. The gate collapsed with a creak of protest and a dull thud. Dust rose in clouds from where it landed. She turned her head to look back at Destiny. "Come on, slowpoke. Don't just stand there staring. We're wasting time."  
  
Destiny took a deep breath and followed her reluctantly. "I'm coming already!"  
  
* * * *  
  
"Join us."  
  
Somehow, Chris had known this was coming all along. And yet it still took him by surprise. He cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"  
  
Kal licked his lips and smiled in a way that let the boy know his patience was wearing thin. "You have incredible power, Chris. If you let me, I could train you to be a great warlock." He paused. "Like me."  
  
Chris waved his arms in front of him. "Whoa, hold on here. Back up. I'm a warlock?"  
  
"Yes, technically I guess you already are one." Kal rubbed his chin and stared at the boy as though for the first time. Then he chuckled. "Don't tell me nobody told you that before."  
  
DUH, Chris thought. "I thought I was human. I mean, my mother's human. My father's an elf... Well, half elf, but he told me the other half was human."  
  
"And you believed him?" Kal waltzed over to a large throne and seated himself in it like he owned the place. He threw his legs over the arm of the throne and laced his fingers behind his head. "Ever wonder, then, why you can do magic?"  
  
Chris snorted. "Me? Do magic? I don't think so, Kal."  
  
"What do you think alchemy is? Advanced chemistry?"  
  
DUH. Suddenly, Chris felt like a complete idiot. It was so obvious; he wondered why he never realized it before. Magic. He could do magic. The idea was preposterous, and yet at the same time quite a thrilling concept. He smiled.  
  
But then, another feeling overcame him. His father had lied about Chris' abilities. He'd been brought up to think there wasn't anything special about him what-so-ever. WHY? He was a warlock, for crying out loud! And that wasn't special? Why had his father told him he was completely human, then? Perhaps...   
  
Perhaps, his father was afraid of him. Afraid of his power.  
  
Chris' eyes narrowed, as the anger continued to boil in his blood. "If I join you, would you teach me how to do spells and stuff?"  
  
Kal's eyes lit up. "Sure! I'll make you my apprentice, teach you everything I know. And that's quite a lot, considering I am the most powerful warlock in thirteen dimensions."   
  
Thirteen? "Wow. I'm impressed."  
  
"Ah, don't be. As powerful as I am, I'm still beat by my Co-Regent. This is weird, because she's only really half witch. I guess that goes to show that bloodlines aren't as important as people make them out to be, huh?"  
  
Chris nodded, excitement bubbling up within him. He could be powerful too, with the right training. "Say, where is this Co-Regent?"  
  
"Oh, Marnie likes to spend a lot of time alone in her room. She'll be out for dinner. Care to join us later?"  
  
"Sure. I'd like that." Chris bit his lip. "You don't mind if I take a little more time to consider your other offer, do you? I want to be sure that I'm making the right decision. I mean, everyone tells me you're the enemy."  
  
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, THEY'RE the enemy. Ever think about that?"  
  
"No." He shuffled his feet, considering this. What else about his life had been a total lie? Who was to say Kal really was the enemy? What if he was really the good guy and Chris' father was really the bad guy?  
  
Suddenly, his mind felt cloudy. It became hard to think straight, nothing made since anymore. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.   
  
Kal got up, alarmed, just in time to catch the boy as his knees gave out. He looked down at him with sincere concern and shook him in an attempt to snap him out of it. "Chris, are you okay?"  
  
"My head feels funny." His words slurred together. "I don't think I'm feeling very good all of a sudden."  
  
"Hang in there, kido." Kal called for a servant. A rather large female troll wearing an apron and a hair net burst through the double doors. He handed Chris to her and told her to take him to a room. "Take care of him. I'm going to get Marnie." He looked at the boy, who barely clung to consciousness. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."  
  
Chris nodded, and promptly blacked out. The servant carried him away, leaving Kal seemingly alone in the throne room. He turned toward the darkest corner and smiled. "Well done, Marnie. I commend you."  
  
Marnie stepped out of the shadows, a smile playing on her lips. One hand distractedly pulled the pendant on her necklace back and forth in front of her. "That was child's play. The boy will now think you came to his rescue, when his own father doesn't even care where he is. I have such excellent timing, don't I?"  
  
"That you do." Kal chuckled as he put his arm around her and drew her as close as he dared. "That you do."  
  
"Great performance, by the way."  
  
"Why, thank you."  
  
* * * *  
  
The two girls had been traveling down this corridor for over a half an hour, and the end of it was still nowhere in sight. Destiny stopped and threw her hands in the air. "This is hopeless, Merope. You realize that, don't you?"  
  
Merope leaned against the dirty stone wall and sighed. "Yeah, I'm beginning to think there's no end to it. In either direction. Even if that doesn't make any since."  
  
"Well, obviously, it's a trick of magic. Otherwise we'd at least come to a turn or something."  
  
"Okay, so what do we do about it?"  
  
Destiny didn't answer immediately. She chewed on her bottom lip as she gave it careful consideration. "Maybe, there are ways out, but we just can't see them."  
  
"That's right!" A squeaky voice yelped from off to their left, making both girls jump in fright.   
  
"Yeah," a second, slightly lower voice said. "There's exits everywhere, you're just not looking at them right."  
  
They turned to the source of the voices. Nothing. Then they looked down, and saw two short, very cute three-eyed monsters. One was taller than the other, and blue with a tail and floppy ears. The other was squat and purple with eight legs and tiny, armless hands sticking out of its cheeks. Both girls simultaneously raised their eyebrows.   
  
"Who or WHAT are you two?" Merope asked after a beat.   
  
"I am Garz," said the many legged one. He jerked a thumb at his taller companion. "And that's Zarg. We're brothers."  
  
This earned a wearily exchange of glances between the humanoids. Merope looked extremely amused and all she could bring herself to say without bursting with laughter was, "Okay, then. Right."  
  
Destiny decided she'd seen weirder things, and managed to put the awkwardness aside. "You guys can help us?"  
  
"Yes, we can-" Garz started, but corrected him when Zarg elbowed him. "-But we shouldn't. We've been given orders to make sure no one gets into the labyrinth."  
  
"By whom?"  
  
Both made disgusted faces. Zarg made a gagging noise and blurted, "The All Powerful Kalabar Junior."  
  
"You don't like him." Merope leaned down to be more at eye level with the creature. "Not that I blame you, or anything."   
  
Garz waved his tiny hands around in an attempt at a wild gesture. "Before his father came here, it wasn't the Dark Dimension at all! It was a nice place, full of life! But then he started turning all the creatures into evil monsters... And... And..." Zarg broke down crying. Garz patted him on the arm sympathetically before continuing in a louder voice. "Kal's no better. He just lets everything go to waste... It's all in ruins, spare his precious castle."  
  
"You know," Destiny said, lowering her voice. "If you help us get him out of power, I can assure you we'll let you and any of your friends come home with us. Our town is full of live and vibrancy. I think you'd like it."  
  
Merope looked appalled at what her friend was saying. "Destiny!"  
  
The two monsters exchanged looks. "Uh, can we talk about this for a minute?"  
  
"Sure. Take your time."  
  
They trotted off so they were out of the girls' hearing distance, but remained in sight. They huddled and discussed the situation. Garz started, "Should we trust them?"  
  
"What could be worse than this? I say we trust them. Even if they're not telling the truth, Kal would be out of power. Maybe without him, the land could heal itself."  
  
"You're absolutely right, brother. Absolutely right."  
  
"So," Merope said as she leaned her shoulder against the wall, keeping her eye on the creatures lest they decide to run away or something. "What do you think their decision will be?"  
  
"I dunno," Destiny answered. She was hovering near the wall, and felt something brush against her leg. She let out a small yelp and looked down. The thing looked like a plant, but it had eyes where there should have been flowers. They eyes winked at her, and made a high pitched, warped noise that sounded frighteningly like "Oh yeah, baby!" Wide eyed, she backed away slowly. She ran into Merope and yelped again. Merope rolled her eyes, quickly becoming bored with the whole mission.  
  
Finally, just when Merope had decided to try to find her own way out, the monsters returned. "We will help you."  
  
"Great!" Destiny smiled. "Lead the way."  
  
* * * *  
  
Chris opened his eyes, only to discover the room was spinning and blurry. He groaned and placed his hands over his eyes. "What happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure," came Kal's worried voice. "But it seems you're recovering quickly."  
  
Chris groaned again. "I feel like I was hit with a truck."  
  
"Oh, boy. That bad, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Kal put a wet cloth over the boy's eyes. In his best fatherly tone, he told him, "I was really worried there for a while."  
  
"You were? Why?"  
  
Kal made a snorting noise. "Why not? Are you used to people not caring about what happens to you, or something?"  
  
Chris frowned, but didn't answer. Kal smirked, knowing Chris couldn't see. The boy was so close to giving in, Kal could almost taste it. Although why he was so obsessed with the boy, he wasn't quite sure. But he could feel the untapped power there, and he itched to harness it for his own wishes.  
  
"I was thinking about my father, and... Ooooh..." Chris blindly clawed at the blankets covering his bed as another wave of pain swept over him. It was followed by another wave of panic. "What's wrong with me?"  
  
"Calm down, getting upset won't help." Chris took a deep breath and forced his body to relax.  
  
There was a knock at the door. Marnie opened the door quietly, and without invitation. She mouthed to Kal, "Now?" He nodded, so she carefully walked in. "Hey, kid, how are you doing?"  
  
"Not good, who are you?"  
  
"This is Marnie," Kal said quietly. "She's going to try to help you get over whatever is ailing you."  
  
'Is that okay, Chris?" Marnie asked, sounding as sweet as she possibly could.  
  
"Go for it. It can't hurt."  
  
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace like the one she wore, a black sun with an eye in the center. "Okay, I'm going to heal you with a magic talisman. It may feel funny when I put it on you, but I assure you, you'll feel instantly better. Alright?"  
  
"Okay. I'm ready."   
  
The two adults exchanged triumphant grins.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, now it's all coming together! I'm excited now, aren't you? Look, this chappy had no SC charas in it. What do ya know? Hey, I am going to finish this, I swear! So stay tuned, and don't forget to review! Reviews make me happy. 


	19. Not So Empty Handed

Holiday Crisis  
  
Chapter 19: Not So Empty Handed  
  
* * * *  
  
"Rettahs." Holding his hands out in front of him in a controlled manor, Chris watched in fascination as the shards of broken mirror hopped back into place and melted together. "Shatter." Again, they fell apart. He smiled. "Rettahs." Pop, they snapped together. "I think I have the hang of this now."  
  
"I agree. You're a natural, Chris." Marnie rested her chin on his shoulder. "I say we move on to something a bit more complicated next. Like time travel."  
  
He looked at her in the mirror. "You really think I'm ready for time travel?"  
  
She shrugged. "Sure, why not? I mean, you're already a master at alchemy, and that's considered one of the hardest magical practices to get the hang of. People spend their whole lives trying to perfect their skills and they come nowhere near your abilities. And that reminds me..." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the golden vial. "Kal said you made this for me?"  
  
Chris blushed slightly and ducked his head into his collar. "Yeah, I hope it works as well as you wish. I've never tested it on anyone before, so I have no idea how it will work."  
  
"I'll find out now, I guess." Before he could protest, she downed the contents of the vial in one gulp. Gagging, she made a face. "Wow, that's bitter." A moment passed, then her visage seemed to shimmer and ripple from head to toe in a warm golden glow. When it passed, she stood in front of the mirror and smiled with deep satisfaction. She now looked no more than a day over twenty. She touched her hair, now absolutely free of stray strands of silver, feeling strangely reminiscent of the days before Kal had captured her. But the nostalgic feeling passed with ease, and she turned to the teenager behind her and flashed him a sincere smile. "Nice job, Chris. You are officially my new favorite person." The comment made him turn an amusing shade of pink. Then a thought struck her. "I'm going to go tell Kal, I'll be right back. Okay?"  
  
"Sure..." She rushed from the room, not really caring if he responded or not. Kal would be so excited, now that she wasn't looking old enough to be his mother. Being half mortal was a drag, considering it made her age like a full fledged mortal. And while she still didn't love Kal like THAT (ick, besides she WAS married, even if it felt like that was a part of another lifetime) she still highly valued his opinion. Although he didn't feel that way, she thought of him as an older brother now.  
  
She reached the doorway to his room and stopped upon seeing it slightly ajar. Kal's subdued voice drifted out of the crack, hushed and thick with emotion. Quietly, she hid herself to where she could see him but he couldn't see her in turn, and watched him. Something about the tone of his voice gave her the impression that this was important, but she couldn't shake the feeling she'd become voyeur. She wasn't supposed to see this. But at the same time it was vital that she did.   
  
Kal lit a candle, and stared into the flame. He tilted his head, as though listening to a voice Marnie could not hear. Then he lowered his eyes and spoke to the flame. "But I recruited the boy, just as you wished. He seemed a bit reluctant, but in the end... We had to trick him into taking the amulet, but he-" Kal grabbed the side of his head, and fell over as though he'd been pushed. "I KNOW that, but I could tell the good in him would turn me down eventually. It was the only choice." A beat. "Just like with Marnie. But that went fine, so I know this will be no different."   
  
Marnie flinched at the sound of her name, but refused to move from the spot until she'd seen this through. The complete wrongness of the situation became more and more apparent the more she listened.   
  
"I will try interrogating Agatha one more time, but I fear she won't tell me anything. She's a stubborn old bat, as you know. No, Father, I will not fail." Agatha? Father? This had gone from excitement, to a sneaking feeling, to blood-chilling dread. Needing to hear no more, and fearing what would happen if he caught her, Marnie turned and silently fled back to the Main Chamber.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Marnie skidded to a stop and took a moment to catch her breath, resting her hands on her knees. "This is bad, Chris. Really bad."  
  
Chris' eyebrows knit together in concern. "How? What happened?"  
  
She lowered her voice. "I just heard Kal talking to someone he called his father."  
  
"So?"  
  
She snorted. "Kalabar is dead. He has been for over thirty years, almost forty now. And considering I couldn't see him..." She shuddered. "He's not a ghost. I'm pretty good friends with a lot of ghosts from Halloweentown, so I know what they look like. That seemed more like he was... As crazy as it sounds, I think he's INSIDE Kal."  
  
"You mean he's possessed?"  
  
She nodded, and chewed distractedly on her bottom lip. "And he said Agatha's here. And yet, he never told me that. I wonder where he's keeping her." She pulled on her necklace like she wanted to rip it off. "I gotta go help her."  
  
A strange feeling bubbled up inside him. Empathy. Suddenly, he too wanted to rip off his necklace, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Vaguely, he knew it was holding him back, keeping him from being more of a help. At the same time he wanted to start a man-hunt, he also didn't give a lick. He squeezed the side of his head in frustration. "I don't know what to do."  
  
"Me neither, but we should do something."  
  
There was a moment of silence in which the whole incident seemed to evaporate from their minds. Their eyes glowed yellow for a moment, then faded. They shook their heads confusedly, as though they'd both completely lost their train of thought.  
  
Finally, Marnie scratched her head and shrugged. "Want to get back to work?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
* * * *  
  
Destiny and Merope followed Garz and Zarg out of a door, obscured by a tapestry depicting monsters running amok in a human village. "We're in!"  
  
"Finally," Merope added with a frown. She turned to Garz and Zarg. "Thanks guys. Now I suggest you make yourself scarce. This is gonna get ugly."  
  
Zarg shook his head, causing his floppy ears to bounce around. "No way. We've come this far, we won't abandon you now."  
  
"That's right," Garz added. "And there's no sense in trying to talk us out of it either. We've got your back."  
  
"Oh for cracked candy corn," Merope rolled her eyes, but secretly was grateful for all their help. "Well, come along then. Let's get this over with already."  
  
They moved stealthily through the darkened corridors, thankful to not run into any of the many seedy creatures that inhabited the castle. The dim hallways might have been good for mood and atmosphere, but they did nothing for security. The two girls constantly had their hands on their weapons. (Merope had the golden sword, and Destiny had her father's thinner, lighter weight candy cane sword.) They came to a four-way intersection.   
  
"Well, shall we split up?" Destiny whispered into Merope's ear.  
  
"No," the taller girl said, looking down at her partner. "We need to stick together. Divided we fall, remember?"  
  
Destiny nodded, and bit her lip. Her eyes never stopped scanning the area for uninvited visitors. Then she called behind her. "Do you guys know where we'd find any kind of prison or dungeon?"  
  
"No," Garz squeaked. He was relieved he didn't know the dungeons. "But we do know where the Throne Room is. Would that be of any help?"  
  
She exhaled loudly. "I guess."  
  
They didn't need to travel far, as they were practically on top of the throne room as it was. Garz and Zarg trotted in front of the doors and stopped. "Here it is."  
  
Garz's tiny hand extended into a real arm and he reached up to grasp the handle. "Now we're going to uh... Get bigger, so don't be alarmed." Both girls threw them questionable looks, but before either could ask for clarification, there was a soft pop and the creatures grew about ten feet. And Garz sprouted more legs and eyes, and both grew horns (Zarg's horns replaced his ears, btw). They weren't cute any more, now they looked dangerous.   
  
Zarg grinned at them, showing off a mouth full of sharp, yellowed teeth. "Just in case." Then they pulled the doors open.  
  
Marnie and Chris immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Likewise, the girls also stared in disbelief. Finally, after a few tense seconds, Merope and Chris yelled "YOU!" And basically charged at the two silent ones. Marnie reacted to Merope's attack much quicker than Destiny did to Chris', throwing up a shield before she could actually think about it. Chris, fueled with rage and the rather irrational idea that Destiny had turned his parents against him (a thought that had been planted by Kal, no doubt), tackled his sister and closed his fingers around her neck. He didn't squeeze hard enough to do any harm, but simply pen her down and frighten her very much. "Well, if it isn't Ms. Precious. Did Mummy and Daddy really let you risk your neck like this, or did you actually go against their wishes for once. Wait, no, heaven forbid that!" He shook her, causing her to admit a terrified gurgle. Merope would have come to her aid had she been trying to hack her way through Marnie's shield with her sword and muttering curses not fit for a Disney based fan fic.   
  
"You always were the favorite, MERRY," He spat her real name like it was a cuss word and shook her harder, this time actually applying pressure her throat. His eyes were glowing yellow. "Maybe if I got rid of you, then I could be the favorite! Then they would forget all about you!"  
  
"Okay, that's enough, little man! Leave my friend alone!" Two strong hands yanked Chris away from his sister who gasped for air and coughed loud enough to gain Marnie's attention.  
  
"Zarg? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be guarding the entrance from these people, not helping them!"   
  
In that moment of distraction, her shield weakened and Merope broke through. She shoved Marnie into a wall and put the broad side of her sword to her neck, effectively pinning her there. "All this time, Mother, I though you were being held against your will. But now I understand. Now-" She noticed the strange eye necklace and her eyes narrowed. "What's this?" She yanked it off. Marnie screamed in pain, her eyes rolling back into her head. Her body went limp, and for fear of accidentally removing her mother's head, Merope withdrew her blade. Marnie dropped to the floor. Merope turned to Destiny. "Remove his necklace!"  
  
Not needing to be told twice, Destiny unsheathed her sword, slid it under the chain, and pulled hard. The chain snapped, sending the eye flying at her. She caught it with a gloved hand and stuck it in her pocket. Chris didn't scream, but his thrashing stopped and he similarly went limp. Only then did the girls begin to breath.   
  
However their moment of relief didn't last long. "What is going on here?" They turned to see Kal standing in the doorway, looking extremely annoyed. He looked from the girls, to his unconscious allies, to Garz and Zarg. As he realized what happened, his annoyance turned to anger. He held out his hands and mumbled something in Latin. Lightning surrounded the four humanoids and in a flash, they were gone. He turned to the monsters, a murderous tone in his voice. "You traitors! Do you have any idea what you have done?"  
  
Zarg and Garz deflated immediately and held onto each other for dear life. The last thing they saw was Kal's dark aura, and then everything went black.  
  
* * * *  
  
The Portal regurgitated four figures. The girls landed on their feet, but the unconscious bodies landed unceremoniously in a heap. Immediately, Curtis and Maigri (the 'future' Maigri, not the one we've come to know and love) came running. "What happened?"  
  
The explanation came in a confusing rush. Maigri held up his hand. "Come on, why don't you explain it to the council."  
  
"You might want to send security to watch over these two," Merope stated as calmly as she could. "I don't know what they'll do when they wake up."  
  
He nodded briskly. "I'll have a team down here immediately. In the meantime, Curtis, could you watch them?"  
  
"Sure thing, bro."  
  
And they disappeared around the corner before he could say anything else. But he understood that it was an emergency and they had no time to chat. He threw a weary glance at the two and frowned. Chris had been reported missing by his mother only two hours ago, but Marnie had been missing for considerably longer. He could only wonder where'd they'd been, and why Marnie didn't look a day older than the age she'd been when she disappeared.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Quinton!" Kal roared indignantly. "Get in here NOW!"   
  
"Yes sir?" The former head of Research and Development now clad in leather and sporting a red Mohawk, ran into the room as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
"I want the labyrinth changed right now."  
  
"But sir, it will take at least twelve hours-"  
  
"It'll be five or it'll be your head, elf. Understand me? UNDERSTAND?" He towered over the elf, making him gulp. No one wanted to face the wrath of Kalabar Jr. Quinton knew that he wasn't kidding about having his head. He knew some good friends who'd met their end on a chopping block.  
  
"Yes, sir," he squeaked. "Five it is. I'll get my team on it immediately." He turned to flee, but Kal stopped him. His tone was considerably quieter.  
  
"Oh, and please take these two out to the garden. I'm sure they'll make wonderful additions to the collection." Kal motioned to the frozen forms of Garz and Zarg.  
  
The elf nodded, a half smile creeping onto his face. "Indeed they will."  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Cliffy! Mwa-hahahahah! Review? *Shiny anime eyes* You know, there's only three chapters left. (Not including extras and stuff.) I can't believe it, I really can't. This will be the first story I've ever finished, and I swear I'll do it before summers over. Mark my words. 


	20. The Obligatory Boring Filler Chapter

Holiday Crisis  
  
Chapter 20: The Obligatory Boring Filler Chapter  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: I know there were only going to be three more chapters, but since all the action will start up soon, I thought I'd separate it from this boring stuff and make four chapters instead. So sue me. Wait, no! Disney, don't take me seriously! NO! *Disney kidnaps me and claims my plot as their own. And then I wake up to find I've fallen asleep at the keyboard.* hlstxns;fvhszrojqfnrsdlrlo...*drools* Don't I wish? No, seriously, I don't own SC one or two, neither of the Halloweentown movies, Angel, the Labyrinth, or Garz and Zarg. No, wait, scratch that last one. I DO own Garz and Zarg! Well, what do ya know? *Huggles them till their eyes bug out* They're mine, all mine!  
  
Anyway, enjoy the boring filler chapter! The action will begin in the next one, I promise.  
  
* * * *  
  
The older Luke had been voted as mayor of Halloweentown a year back, and was obligated to attend Council meetings whenever Agatha could not. He hated the meetings, as he found them too formal and frankly to boring for his liking. However, this meeting was anything of that sort. He turned the Eye over in his hands (which were adorned with rubber gloves just in case contact with skin was the way it activated) and frowned. "I've never seen one of these up close before."  
  
"You know what it is?" Merope demanded.   
  
He looked up at his daughter. "Yes, and it's a good thing you dropped the one you were holding during transport or you'd be evil right now."  
  
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's what SHE said. You don't really buy that, do you?"  
  
His frown deepened considerably. "Yes, I buy it. YOU didn't live through the Dark Time. You didn't see your own people enslaved by these things."   
  
"You did?" Diana asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.  
  
Luke nodded curtly. "I was extremely young, mind you. But I can recall every detail with perfect clarity.  
  
"They got my uncle. He was such a nice guy. He had a flower shop and always helped the mortals out with their problems. Everybody loved him. But then the Dark Dimension opened up and he was just one taken out of a large group of us... After that, some of the elders got together and decided to create Halloweentown. It was a long and tedious process, though, and right before we left, those who'd been taken came back and started terrorizing the mortals. They all wore one of these" -He held up the Eye for everyone to see- "around their necks. The mortals didn't understand what had happened, and so they violently drove us out of the dimension. All the people who'd been captured were slaughtered by the mortals, my uncle included. In front of me, might I add?" He winced; he had not intended to share THAT with them.  
  
There was a long pause. "So," Destiny piped up, "Does that mean it's safe to assume that neither my brother, nor Marnie went evil of their own free will?"  
  
Luke wet his lips and finally tore his gaze away from the thing in his hands. "Yes, I think so. Marnie would never go evil on her own. I know this for a fact."  
  
"I'm not so sure about Chris, though." Bernard grumbled. This statement received many glares. "We had a really bad fight, okay? I'm sure he was looking for a place to feel more... More loved. He probably just wanted to belong somewhere or some crap like that."  
  
"Well, DAD," Cupid spat, "You could have been a bit easier on the kid. He only seeks for your approval, you know."  
  
The Easter Bunny's ears shot up. "That's right, Bernard. That's one of the most important things in the world to a child. Ya know, having their parent's respect; even when they go into that awful teen phase. Take it from me. After all, I do have several thousand kids." He chuckled.  
  
"Would you two please stop telling me how to do my job?" Bernard rounded on them, glaring daggers. They shut up. Cupid held out his hands defensively, whilst the Bunny's ears flopped over again.   
  
"You know," Charlie said quietly, and leaned his chin on his hands. "That's part of your problem. You treat your kids with the same detachment as you do your workers. I'm sure they don't exactly appreciate it."  
  
"I'm sure," Bernard wouldn't dare argue with his boss/friend. But he stared at Destiny, just daring her to say something. She refused to meet his eye, but played with the hem of her shirt. "Anyway, Chris is really emotional. He probably thought our fight was the end of the world or something."  
  
No one replied to that.  
  
"Now, the question is," the Tooth Fairy interjected. "What are we going to do about Agatha? She's still there, you know. And from what Marnie said-"  
  
"You actually believe anything SHE says?" Merope growled, narrowing her eyes at the poor man. He froze like a deer in headlights.  
  
"Jackie!" Luke yanked his daughter back into her seat. She hadn't even been aware of standing up. "Don't talk about your mother like that, I won't have it. Any more and you'll be asked to leave this meeting." She folded her arms and pouted, but said nothing.  
  
The Molar-nater cleared his throat and resumed nervously. "As I was saying, she said she overheard Kalabar Jr. saying he would torture Agatha. We must rescue her before he does so, or even worse."  
  
"Alright," Bernard said, standing up and placing one foot on the seat of his chair. "Now we must organize a rescue mission. Bring the other me and Marnie in here."  
  
Without another word, Merope stormed out of the room.  
  
* * * *  
  
Marnie found Chris in the only place he felt remotely comfortable: his lab. He sat in the corner of the room, shaking a set of drink shakers with a far off look in his eyes. He stopped when he noticed her presence, but refused to meet her eye. But his thoughts were so plain to her he might as well said, "You made me evil. I don't know if I can trust you anymore." She took a seat and said nothing. He stared at her wearily, but resumed shaking his latest project.  
  
"So..." He began, but didn't know how to make any other words form in his mind.  
  
"So?" She lifted an eyebrow at him. "I didn't have any choice either you know."  
  
"Really."  
  
"Kal's a really good manipulator. He had you right where he wanted you. I was... I was only doing his bidding really. I thought I was in control, but now that I've come to my senses, I know better. He used me. He used you." She laughed bitterly. "He used me to use you. And the cycle goes on."  
  
"But why me? I'm nothing special, right?"   
  
She looked at him like he was crazy. "You're kidding, right?" He shook his head. "We've been through this before, you know."  
  
"Yeah, but how much of that was just hot air?"  
  
Her face scrunched up. "Why else would Kal care? The only reason he'd be interested in you at all is if you had great powers. You have serious self-esteem issues."  
  
He glared at her. "You seem pretty okay with yourself."  
  
She shrugged uncomfortably, refusing to tell him otherwise. The hatred she saw in her own daughter's eyes wounded her deeply. And she couldn't say she didn't blame Merope, either. She should have been able to resist. But she couldn't. Worse yet, she didn't WANT to resist. Ignoring the sudden tightness of her throat, she changed the subject. "Whatcha making?"  
  
"Oh, uh..." He looked down at the shakers, clearly having forgotten what he'd been doing before she showed up. "Uh, well, I'm ATTEMPTING to make a healing potion. But I've never been able to make it work. I thought that after all the negativity I'd been feeling lately, something positive would be good for me, you know?"  
  
She nodded. "I completely understand."  
  
He carefully poured the mixture into a plastic vile and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. "I'll test it later."  
  
She tilted her head and looked at him questioningly. "How exactly do you test a healing potion?"  
  
He smiled bitterly. "How do you think I test it? I'll give you a hint: I'm feeling rather self-destructive today."  
  
Her eyes went wide, and then narrowed in concern. "Chris!"  
  
Before she could say anything else, Bernard (our Bernard, not the jerk-wad one) opened the door and stuck his head in. "Sorry to interrupt, Marnie, but we're needed at the Council meeting. Oh, hi, Chris!" He waved awkwardly, only to receive a sarcastic wave in return. He made a face, upset and yet completely sympathetic. Even he thought his older self was a cold-hearted *cough, cough*, and that was saying something. It seemed as though he'd reverted to the way he was before he'd allowed himself to fall in love with April, and this confused him because they still seemed happily married. He shoved the thought aside as he and Marnie left the Workshop, headed for Council Castle.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Why should I go and not you if you're so much more 'qualified'?" Never, ever in his life did Bernard would be arguing with himself. And losing for that matter. "What if something happened to me? It would screw up the timeline!"  
  
His older self shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure you'll survive."  
  
"PRETTY SURE? YOU'RE ONLY PRETTY SURE?"  
  
Older Bernard rubbed his eyes, his patience running thin. "I'm sure, alright? But if I went, I couldn't guarantee that I would survive. My destiny, to the best of my knowledge-" He threw a weary glance toward Father Time, who was absorbed in staring at the ceiling. "-Has been fulfilled. I could easily not come back. You on the other hand, probably will. I mean, I DO have two kids, not just one."  
  
Our Bernard rolled his eyes. "Okay, that made so much sense."  
  
*Exasperated snort* "I'm still here, and I went when I was you. I think." He made a face, wondering why he couldn't remember the incident at all. His younger self gave him the Look of Doom, but said nothing. "You'll be fine."  
  
"Well, if I die, I'm going to haunt you forever..." He sat down with a humph. He scowled at everyone else, just daring for them to tell him that the other Bernard would cease to exist, so logically that statement made absolutely no sense. They gazed back at him with completely blank expressions. "So besides Marnie and myself, who else is going?"  
  
Finally getting down to business Older Bernard slapped his pencil on his palm distractedly. "Merope and Destiny, Curtis (since he won't stop bugging me about it), your Maigri, and uh... your Luke."  
  
"That's a lot of people who could disappear off the map if something were to go wrong. Are you sure you want to risk your own daughter's life? I mean, they've probably stepped up security since they left. Right?"  
  
Marnie answered the last question for him. "Most likely, yes. Kal's no fool, he knows we'll be back, and he'll be ready for us. What I don't understand is why he let us go in the first place. That's not really like him. Anyway, I think you should take Chris too."  
  
Both Bernards looked at her as though she'd sprouted an extra head. Of course, each had different reasons. "What if something to happen to him?" and "There's no way I'm letting him go back!" Came out at the same time, jumbling together so nobody could tell exactly who said what. They then re-engaged themselves in argument.  
  
"You don't care at all about him, do you?"  
  
"Of course I care! I care about him helping this Kal guy instead of us."  
  
"I can't believe I'm going to become you some day. You're a cold-hearted, self-serving b-"  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!" *Insert cat screech here*  
  
"Okay, that's enough!" Charlie separated them before things could get really ugly. "I won't tolerate this from either of you. Look-" He spoke to our Bernard. "I know you don't want to put your son in danger, but he is more than capable of taking care of himself. Ask Marnie if you don't believe me. And you-" He turned to the other Bernard. "He's your son, for crying out loud! Take heart, he was confused and the fact that you treat him like crap didn't help. Now both of you sit on opposite sides of the table." He pointed and the two reluctantly did as they were told. Charlie tightened his belt angrily. "For holiday's sake you're thousands of years old! Stop acting as though you're five. I don't like playing your father, thank you very much."  
  
"Oh, but you do it so well, Calvin." Charlie shot the Easter Bunny an icy look that was returned by a wink. "Who knew the Regent could be so..."  
  
"That's enough." Charlie growled. Realizing this was neither the time nor the place for this, the Bunny shut up. But the meeting had been going on for six hours now, and everyone was feeling a little edgy. He'd just been trying to relieve the tension.  
  
"Well, I say we vote on it." Uncle Sam piped up with a nod to all. "Those in favor of letting the Sulley boy go say 'aye'."  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Those opposed say 'nay'."  
  
"Nay!"  
  
He smacked the table enthusiastically. "The 'aye's have it. Sorry boys, but Chris goes. That is, if he wants to go."  
  
"That's right," Stated Lady Luck in her melodic voice. (Whenever she spoke, it sounded like change falling on the marble floor of a large bank.) "No one's really given any thought about whether he would want to go or not. Don't either of you value HIS opinion?" The two Bernard's stared at their hands and refused to answer the question. She turned to Destiny. "Would you bring your brother here?"  
  
Destiny winced. "I'm not sure he'd want me to. We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment."  
  
"I'll go." Marnie exited before anyone else could get a word in.  
  
Destiny left right behind her, saying she'd get everyone else together. In truth, she just didn't want to be there when Chris arrived. She didn't think she could face him after he'd tried to kill her, even if he wasn't completely in his right mind when he'd done it. She knew that deep down inside, he'd wanted to strangle her for quite some time, and she didn't completely blame him for it. She was a bit of an attention hog... And she didn't tell her Past parents that she even had a brother... That surely made him feel loved... Feeling shameful tears welling up in her eyes, she sped up her pace. But because of the tears, she couldn't see very well, and ran into someone fairly hard. Suddenly, she found herself on the floor. "I'm so sorry!"  
  
"Oh, no," said the familiar voice. "My bad. Let me help you up."  
  
Destiny wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood up. "Oh, Maigri..." She gave him a big hug and began sobbing. Confused, he awkwardly put his arms around her. He let her cry herself out of her panic, and finally she pulled away and smiled. "Thank you. I needed to get that out."  
  
"And you did," He said without any hint malice, "all over my shirt."  
  
She barked laugh.  
  
Still concerned, he handed her a tissue and asked quietly, "Do you need anything?"  
  
"I'm looking for you, can you help me?"  
  
This statement thoroughly confused him. "I'm right he-"  
  
"No, no!" She waved her arms frantically making the tissue dance in her fingers. "The OTHER you. You know the cranky one."  
  
"Oh! THAT me! I see. Yeah, sure. I'll take you right to him. Me. Whatever." He placed his hand between her shoulder blades and gently guided her in the right direction. He handed her a tissue. "Any time you need to talk about anything, you know where to find me. Right?"  
  
"I'm not ready to talk about it yet, thanks though. I'm... I'm kinda on business right now."  
  
He nodded in understanding. "You know, I can't believe I was ever such a jerk. He drives me completely nuts! How on earth did you put up with him?"  
  
She took a deep breath, thankful for the change in conversation. "Deep down inside, he's still you."  
  
He laughed. "Somehow I doubt that. I really do. He's hopeless!"  
  
"No one's hopeless, Maigri." At that, Destiny abruptly stopped walking. Then, more to herself, she whispered, "No one's completely hopeless. Everyone deserves a chance." And with that, she set her jaw and silently resolved to make up with her brother even if it was the last thing she did.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: Okay, I know that's a really weird place to stop, but all the good-byes and crap will take place during the beginning of the next chapter. This time there really are only three chapters left. Honest! Please review. Reviews make me happy-happy.  
  
Oh, and would somebody please tell me if anything I've written lately contradicts with anything I've written before? I feel like I'm writing something wrong, but I can't put my finger on it. I would really appreciate it. Just tell me in a review okee? And please be specific. If you spot anything, ANYTHING, let me know so I can fix it. Thanks a bunch! 


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